Revenge of the Kat
by tvdlover247
Summary: When Elena, Stefan, and Damon are kidnapped by Katherine, they know nothing good will come from it. One dastardly witch and magical spell later, and Elena and Katherine are suddenly thrust into each others worlds in a way that threatens to tear their lives apart. Who will survive the torture? And who will never again see the light of day?
1. Awakening

Her head was pounding, and she couldn't think straight. Elena slowly opened her eyes and looked around at the dark, damp room she was in. Something smelled metallic, and she felt sticky. 'Okay, this is weird' she thought. Attempting to rub her sore neck, she quickly came to the realization that she was chained to the wall in the bottom of a basement, or some under-ground room. She brought her arms up to her face studying the thick, old shackles that held her in place, and tried to pull them off of her wrists—but they wouldn't budge. 'How did I get in here? What's going on?' she wondered, all the while glancing around the tomb looking for some sort of answer to her questions.

After a while, she heard a low groan and jumped from the sound. Frantically looking for the source of the noise, her eyes fell upon two slumped over forms. But with horror, she realized that the unconscious masses weren't just forms—they were Damon and Stefan. She tried to shimmy over to them, but the world began to spin and she ended up falling over, hitting her head on the wall in the process. As blackness began to take her, she silently cursed herself for her weakness.

Damon began to stir, and his eyes peeked open, attempting to adjust to the dim light. As he sat up, pain shot through his wrists and ankles, and he realized that he was tied up with ropes—probably soaked in vervain. He shook his head, trying to get out of the haze he seemed to be in, and glanced around himself to get his bearings. His brother was passed out beside him, and Elena not much further away. Something smelled delicious, but he couldn't tell where the scent was coming from.

'What the hell is going on? Where are we?' he thought to himself, since none of the others in the room were conscious. He was confused, and Damon hated it. Well, confused was a bit of an understatement. Completely pissed off to be out of the loop probably fit his description a little better.

A few boring minutes passed, and Damon saw that Stefan was starting to wake up. He moaned and opened his eyes, taking in the surroundings. "Where the hell are we?" Stefan asked groggily.

"I think we're in a basement", Damon replied, "Do you remember anything?"

"No. Elena killed Elijah, and we put the body in the basement. She made us promise to tell her the truth, and then…nothing."

"Yeah, that's about as far as my memory goes", Damon stated. Stefan sighed, and looked over in Elena's direction, realizing she was there for the first time since they woke up. He let out a concerned breath, and tried to move to Elena's side, but groaned when he felt the burn from the ropes.

"Well, it's somebody experienced, that's for sure. Vervain on the ropes, not many people would think to do that", Stefan grimaced in pain. But his voice seemed to rouse her from unconsciousness, and Elena's eyes fluttered open. She reached a hand up to the side of her neck the boys couldn't see, and gasped when she pulled it away with deep-red blood smeared all over her hand. Frightened, she wrenched herself up against the wall, and turned towards Stefan and Damon.

She could see the concern etched on their faces, and she was about to ask what was going on, when she heard something. Damon, Stefan, and Elena turned their attention towards the door that had just opened.

Damon was the first to realize who it was, and growled through his teeth. Stefan followed suit, and immediately started glaring towards the door. But Elena couldn't see who had entered due to the extremely dim lighting until she was staring her evil doppelganger straight in the face. It was like looking in the mirror, except for the eyes. They were the same color as hers, but Katherine's were empty—soulless.

Katherine grinned evilly as she stared Elena in the face. When she spoke, it was full of coldness and hatred. "Hello, Elena. Fancy meeting you here."

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OK. So I wanted to start out the story without my little note, so here it is :) the story starts after Season 2, episode 15. Elijah is dead, Bonnie's powerless, Caroline & Matt are MIA, etc., etc. ...BUT (and this is a big but!) nobody knows that Katherine is out of the tomb. So the shower-scene (which may I say, PRICELESS), yeah, that never happened. And Katherine's intentions aren't as good as she "promised" Damon. So in summary: Elena, Stefan, and Damon are put through the vengeful torture of Katherine Pierce, aka Katerina Petrova, while their buddies in the outside world try to rescue them-without magic powers, intuition, or an evil original and his gang to back them up. Memories will be relived, truths will be revealed, and feelings will be hurt. Characters on the virge of death, but fighting to the end with a violent outburst or two. Who will survive? And who will never get to see the light of day again? But hey, its just another week in Mystic Falls, right?

Oh, and as always, it's technically a Stelena fic :) But this story isn't so much about romance, its more about survival... So, after this long author's note, I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "Revenge of the Kat", and as always feedback is love, people :) so read and review!

-kiki :)


	2. The Beginning

I got some great reviews, and I want to thank you all so much for taking the time to give me some feedback! I'm so glad you enjoyed the first chapter, so here's the second! It's kind of short, but I still hope its okay :) so here you go, chapter two! :)

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"Where exactly is here, Katherine?" Damon said, sarcasm dripping from every word. Katherine smirked, and began running her nail down Elena's face making her tense and grimace in pain. Suddenly she was standing in front of Damon, the smirk still spread across her face like a trophy.

"Ah ah ah, Damon. Let's not get ahead of ourselves", she teased, "You'll find out where you are when I want you to. Until then, we're going to have some fun." Elena looked over at Stefan who had been glaring at Katherine since she'd walked in.

"Why don't you go have fun with your newest boy-toy, Katherine? I can assure you he'd be a much more willing candidate", Stefan egged her on.

"Oh, Stefan. And here I thought you were the polite brother", she joked, "Well, I know one way to make you agreeable." She grinned, knowing his one weakness.

Katherine materialized out of thin air next to Elena, and grabbed her long brunette hair, wrenching her up into a standing position. Elena cried out in pain, and Stefan and Damon looked on with horror, unable to do anything to stop Katherine as she bit down into Elena's already bleeding neck. Her shrieks echoed through the room, as tears ran down her face. After a few seconds, Katherine released her hold on the girl and threw her back against the wall, where Elena crumpled into a broken pile.

There they were—the vampire, ex-lover that had forever torn apart two brother's bond, and the girl that had brought them back together. Katherine glanced down at her doppelganger as she wiped her blood off of her mouth with a towel, so decently hung in the corner of the room.

Stefan was destroyed. The girl he loved looked white as a ghost, and as fragile as one, too. 'Oh god, she can't die', he thought, but Katherine was way ahead of him. She grabbed a dagger off of a shelf on with the towels and cut her wrist, feeding her blood to Elena. Color began to return to her cheeks, and she took a deep breath as she opened her eyes.

"Can't have you dying on us, that would ruin all the fun", Katherine explained to the party. She turned her attention to the brothers, to let her first victim recover. But she wasn't quite done with her weapon of choice, yet.

"I think it's time to reconsider your taste in women, Stefan. It's going to get you hurt", she said as she plunged the dagger into his stomach. He yelled out in pain, as he realized that the dagger had vervain petals all over it, and could feel the burn working its way through his body. Yelling out a stream of obscenities directed at Katherine, she plunged the dagger even deeper.

Katherine glared at him, "or better yet, it could get you killed."

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Did you guys like it? I won't be able to update this story as often, because I'm focusing on my first story "The Power of the Sacrifice" :) I'll try to get out an update once a week, but we'll have to see. Anyways, hope you liked it! Remember, feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)


	3. Flames of Death

OK, you guys :) I'm glad you liked the last update, and thanks for all the encouraging reviews! I've been having some serious withdrawal symptoms since last Thursday, so I decided to update :) I hope you guys like this chapter, and I might update sooner this time-who knew how painful it is to not have a new episode? Oh yeah. I've already been through like four of them for this show alone, but it's still pretty painful :P anyways...here's the new chapter(: I hope you enjoy it! btw, is it April 7th yet? :O

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"_I think it's time to reconsider your taste in women, Stefan. It's going to get you hurt", she said as she plunged the dagger into his stomach. He yelled out in pain, as he realized that the dagger had vervain petals all over it, and could feel the burn working its way through his body. Yelling out a stream of obscenities directed at Katherine, she plunged the dagger even deeper._

_Katherine glared at him, "or better yet, it could get you killed."_

Stefan's screams echoed through the small room. "YOU BITCH! STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM US!" he yelled at Katherine through the pain.

She looked into his eyes and laughed, "Do you really think I'll leave just because my love got a little upset? Dream on, Stefan." She yanked the blade out of his body, and threw it across the room at the wall. Leaving him to heal before she began her next wave of torture, she walked over to Damon. She put on the sweetest, yet sexiest face she could, knowing that it wouldn't take much to win him over. "Damon, do you really want to go through what these two just went through?" she whimpered fakely, hoping he would fall for the ploy, "If you don't, you can always come with me. We'd have so much fun together."

"Do you think I'm stupid Katherine? You're just using me. You told me yourself—it was always Stefan, and I was just your latest boy-toy", Damon spat at her, "So go to hell."

Katherine glared at him, furious that he had dared to say that to her. Through her fury, she decided just what punishment he would receive. Walking over to the shelf, she grabbed a bottle of alcohol, and turned around. Standing over Damon, she smirked, and poured the bottle all over him until every last drop was out. She reached into the pocket of her skinny jeans, and pulled out the contents: a lighter. She flicked the flame on, and waved it in front of his face.

"Fine", she grinned evilly, "Meet you there." And with that, she dropped the lighter onto him, and the flames instantly jumping up his body, engulfing him. Damon's screams filled the room with his searing agony, and all that Stefan could do was watch helplessly as his brother was burned alive. He fought against his restraints as hard as he could, but couldn't break the ropes. Already weaker than his brother, the vervain had weakened him even more.

Katherine stared sternly at the blaze, then walked calmly over to her shelf of torture items and picked up a bucket. She walked back over to the burning vampire and poured the contents over him. The water immediately ate the flames, and soon Damon was sitting up, soaked and covered in burns, breathing heavily as he glared at the woman.

"See what happens when you piss me off, Damon? I was kind this time—I didn't want to ruin my fun before it had even started. But believe me when I say it won't happen ever again", she hissed, and walked up the stairs towards the door, her stilettos click-clacking on the floor with each step until she opened the door and rounded the corner, slamming the door behind her.

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Elena woke up to a throbbing head again. She remembered what Katherine had done to her before she passed out, and realized that the reason her head was hurting was because of the blood in her system. She blinked a few times before officially rousing out of unconsciousness, and ran her hands over her face and through her hair, trying to wake herself up.

When she sat up, she could feel the dull pain on her neck and in her entire body. She was exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally, but she knew she had a long while ahead of her before they got out of this prison… IF they got out of this prison. She looked over at the boys, and discovered the full extent of the damage Katherine had down since she'd knocked Elena out. There was what looked like a column of black on the wall behind Damon, and blood all over Stefan's clothes.

Elena gasped in horror, and they both turned to look at her. "Elena, thank god you're awake! I'm so sorry, that was all my fault. If you had die—"Stefan began, but was cut off by Elena.

"Stefan, it wasn't your fault. You didn't make her attack me—that was all her", Elena reassured him, "What happened while I was…indisposed?"

"Well, she stabbed Stefan and almost burned me to a crisp after I told her to go to hell", Damon griped, wincing in pain—apparently his burns hadn't healed all the way.

"Oh my god, I'm so sor—"Elena began, but was cut off when Katherine entered the room again.

"I see our little human is awake", Katherine yawned, "Ready for another bite, Elena?"

"Over my dead body", Elena challenged, "You aren't invincible, Katherine, and I'm not scared of you. You can bite me and stab me all you want, but I know that in the end you would never kill me. That would just give Klaus another reason to want you dead."

Katherine's eyes narrowed—she hadn't expected the girl to fight back. It was actually kind of fascinating. But it also pissed her off. A lot. "You think you're so tough, Elena. Well here's a news flash: You're not. I can get into your head faster than I can rip this necklace off your neck", she stated. Katherine leaned down to Elena's eye level, and grabbed her necklace with vervain—protecting her from vampires compelling her.

She yanked the necklace off so hard that Elena lurched forward with a gasp, and looked up into the vampire's face. "See? Not so strong now, are you?" Katherine taunted, "So, what to do? What to do? Oh! I know! It's time for the entertainment. And Elena—or should I say little Miss Fearless—you're the main act."

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How was it? Did you like it? The next chapter's going to be a bit harder to write, I've got to come up with some ideas for the "entertainment" :) so if any of you have ideas, I'm open to them! Feedback is love, so read and review!

-kiki :)

btw, Is it April yet? Oh wait...I already asked that. See what I mean about the 'withdrawal symptoms'? I've been repeating myself all day :P


	4. Torture by an Angel

Thank you all so much for keeping me going! I've gotten so many great reviews, and it makes me want to keep writing :) I hope you all liked the last chapter, and I really hope that I can keep you guys' interests :) So here it is, chapter 4!

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_She yanked the necklace off so hard that Elena lurched forward with a gasp, and looked up into the vampire's face. "See? Not so strong now, are you?" Katherine taunted, "So, what to do? What to do? Oh! I know! It's time for the entertainment. And Elena—or should I say little Miss Fearless—you're the main act."_

Elena stared at Katherine, her eyes widening out of fear. 'Oh god, what is she going to make me do?' Elena thought, horrified at some of the ideas that came to her mind.

"Stay away from her Katherine!" Stefan yelled at the vampire, who took no notice of the men tied up in the corner.

Katherine leaned in to Elena's face, and Elena automatically turned her head away. Katherine grabbed her chin and forced Elena's eyes towards hers. Elena fought and struggled as hard as she could, but was beginning to feel light headed from her blood-loss and the pressure Katherine was placing on her jaw. As soon as Katherine was in her line of sight again, Elena closed her eyes, hoping that her compelling wouldn't work—but knowing that it would.

Looking her doppelganger in the face, Katherine stared deep into the set of eyes that mirrored her own. Her pupils began to dilate, and Elena's followed suit, as Katherine commanded, "Stop fighting."

Immediately, Elena's struggles ceased and the girl looked at Katherine with a mixture of fear, hatred, and agony. "Good, now that I've got your attention, the fun can begin", Katherine laughed maniacally, letting go of Elena's jaw. "Now stand up."

Elena did exactly that, getting up off of the dirty ground and standing in front of Katherine like a puppet. The old vampire smirked, knowing that Elena pretty much _was_ a puppet; she was completely aware of everything that was happening, just unable to do anything about it.

"Now Elena, what should we have you do first?" Katherine laughed.

"I know. Leave me the hell alone", Elena countered, unable to physically fight but still able to irritate her torturer.

"First off, we can't have you talking—so shut up while I think of something to make you do", Katherine commanded, watching as Elena's pupils grew and shrank with the new order. The vampire took a deep breath in to think on, and then came to a decision. She walked over to the shelf with all of her goodies and grabbed a large glass mason-jar. After reaching behind Elena's back to rip off her restraints and handing her the jar, she gave out her orders.

"Open the jar", Katherine demanded as she watched Elena twist the cap off of the container. "What do you see?"

Elena drew in a quick-but-quiet breath and answered the question, "Vervain." Katherine grinned, and began to give her next command.

"Correct—now take one sprig of vervain in each hand and walk over to me." Elena did as she was told, wondering what Katherine was going to make her do. When she came to stand in front of Katherine, the vampire's grin widened even more as she gave out her next instructions, "You are going to go to Stefan, open his mouth and place one branch into it. Do _not_ let him spit it out, even if he hurts you in the process."

Elena's eyes widened in fear as she stumbled over to the love of her life. Her mind was reeling, and her emotions were in a frenzy. How could Katherine ask her to do this to Stefan when she claimed that she had always loved Stefan? Did she think that torturing the person she loved was a turn-on? Elena tried to fight the orders that she had been given, but Katherine was over five-hundred years old and her compelling couldn't be undone very easily.

Stefan could see the fear on Elena's face as she walked over, and he knew that she could see it on his, too. She was fighting it, trying to stop walking towards him to carry out the instructions that his bitch of an ex-girlfriend had given her—but he knew that it was all for naught. As she came to kneel by his side, he could see a tear roll down her cheek and could practically feel the apologies she was sending to him in her mind.

Elena was going to break down into tears any minute, but even that wouldn't have stopped her from torturing Stefan. She tried to tell him she was sorry, that she would never want to do this to him—but Katherine's order to 'shut-up' had stuck, and Elena found herself unable to speak.

This was so frustrating, and she wanted to stake Katherine for making her do this. She reached up to Stefan's face wanting to stroke it and kiss away the fear she saw, but instead found herself reaching up to crane his mouth open. He let her do as she'd been told, trying his best to gain control so that he couldn't hurt her. Because even though he had been ingesting vervain, it had been at most a couple of weeks—enough to take a sip of it without gagging, not keep it in his mouth for minute after agonizing minute.

Tears began to spring out of her eyes quicker now, and as she placed the vervain in Stefan's mouth, she wished more than anything that she would wake up and this was all a dream. She closed his mouth, and could hear the muffled groans and screams coming from her love's mouth as he fought to get the vervain out of his body.

Searing pain. Pure agony. That's how Stefan would have described those moments. Feeling the vervain burning all the way down his throat, and seeing the pain on Elena's face was the most painful thing he could ever imagine. He didn't know how long the vervain had been in his mouth until he heard Katherine's voice through the burning.

"That's enough, Elena." She immediately complied, letting go of Stefan's head and hugging him as he tried to get the herb out of his mouth. Katherine was giddy—giddy at having seen 'the love of her life' in such pain—so much so that she was laughing enough to shake the house to the ground.

"You bitch! You want to torture someone? Torture me—leave Elena and my brother out of it!" Damon yelled at their prison-guard. Katherine shot a surprised look at him, and smirked.

"Are you saying you'd rather go through pain than these two pathetic fools go through it? Now that's a side of Damon Salvatore that even I didn't know existed!" Katherine joked, and then asked, "Elena, would you comply to Mr. Salvatore's request?"

Elena fought with everything she had. She couldn't do that again—couldn't make Damon go through that, too. It was bad enough that she'd done it to Stefan, but to both of the brothers? No. She struggled to find her voice, knowing that Katherine had temporarily taken it. She only had to find it for a second, long enough to say one word. Wracking her brain, she tried to figure out how to stop herself from committing the same heinous crime again.

"No."

It took all her will-power to overcome the orders that Katherine had placed on her earlier, but finally she gained the strength to say that one simple word that would change her life forever.

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So how was it? Also, I want to give a shoutout to one of my amazing fans who suggested Elena torturing Stefan to me-LongLiveTheQueen.21, thank you so much! You're awesome, and I appreciate you and everybody else for being so supportive! I hope you all liked it, and remember! Feedback is love, people-so read and review! :D

-kiki :)

btw: is it april yet? :(


	5. Disbelief

Hey, guys :) did you like that last chapter? I've been so busy that I couldn't reply to everybody's reviews-and I am SUPER sorry about that :( We'll find out how Elena managed to override Katherine eventually, but it's only hinted in this chapter... thank you all for your amazing reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter, but it's not as action-filled as Elena torturing Stefan...more fluff and disbelief that anything :( but I hope you like it anyways!

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"_No."_

_It took all her will-power to overcome the orders that Katherine had placed on her earlier, but finally she gained the strength to say one simple word that would change her life forever. _

She did it. She got it out. Elena had managed to disobey Katherine, even after she had been compelled. Suddenly, the room was quiet—quiet enough to hear a pin drop. All three vampires had their heads turned towards Elena, complete and utter shock written on all of their faces.

Elena knew what was going through their minds: 'How the hell did she say that? She was just compelled to be quiet!' The truth was, Elena was wondering the exact same thing herself. It wasn't possible to disregard Katherine's orders…was it?

"Wha….What did you just say?" Katherine asked, stumbling over words as her shock continued to paralyze her.

"No. I said 'No'", Elena replied. Katherine just stared at her, completely dumbstruck. No human had ever been able to disobey her orders. How was it possible that Elena—her doppelganger—had? Were they connected somehow so that she could override Katherine's demands? 'Well, that would make this a whole lot less interesting', Katherine complained to herself.

Damon and Stefan had never seen Katherine this flustered. She was utterly at a loss of words. Of course, the brothers were, too. Elena had just gone against Katherine's wishes, even after she'd been compelled. In their 146 years of life, that was one feat that they had never before witnessed.

As confused looks grew common in the room, all four of the creatures looking at each other trying to understand the significance of the simple two-letter word Elena had just uttered. Katherine was the first one of them to gain any semblance of order and comprehension in the room.

She stalked over to the human girl that had somehow managed to defy her, having already decided the next path she would take. "Fine. If you don't want to physically torture these two, then I guess the pain will have to be transferred to you." Elena's eyes widened as Katherine grabbed Elena's arm. She gave it a good twist, satisfied when she heard a deafening crack and a shriek of pain from the young girl. Letting go, she laughed out loud as she watched Elena fall to the ground clutching her arm.

"Stay the hell away from her, Katherine!" Stefan screamed at her.

"Oh, shut-up, Stefan! It's going to heal anyways, just let her go through the pain she put you through. You know, revenge?" Katherine joked.

"She didn't have a choice! You forced her to!" Damon yelled at his ex, with Stefan in complete agreement.

Katherine was starting to get irritated with the commentary, but wasn't done having fun with her doppelganger yet. She grabbed Elena off of the ground, and threw her against the wall in the opposite corner of the room, smirking as she heard another bone break—a rib, maybe?

Elena let out an agonized scream, grabbing her side—yep, Katherine hit a rib. "Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you besides take something that wasn't even yours to begin with?" Elena yelled at Kat, taking a dig at her 'love' for Stefan. The vampire glared, and replied.

"Because it's fun. And Stefan IS mine."

"No, I was yours 150 years ago. WAS. And that's only because you compelled me to love you", Stefan yelled at the woman who was attacking Elena.

"I never compelled your love! How many times do I have to tell you that for you to finally believe it?" Katherine pleaded.

"Repeat it as many times as you want, I'll _never_ believe you", Stefan stated.

"As much as I'm loving this little Stefan-love-fest we've got going on here, are you going to let us go, or not?" Damon asked, sick of having his heart broken over and over again.

"Ha! Don't you get it, Damon? You're never getting out. And we're just getting started", Katherine promised, "Elena, your job isn't over yet."

"Get away from me, Katherine", Elena muttered through the pain of her broken arm and rib. But Katherine was not about to give her doppelganger what she wanted. The show was still on, and the big finale was about to come.

"Elena, look at me", Katherine said, and Elena complied. "Tell me what your worst memory is."

"No, not that…Anything but that", Elena mumbled, tears dripping down her already wet face.

"Oh, yes, Elena. Now tell me—your worst experience."

"May 23rd, 2009—when my parent's car drove off the road", Elena answered in a monotone voice, not knowing that she had practically just sealed her death-sentence.

"Katherine, stop. You're taking it too far", Stefan begged, knowing that Elena had been through more than enough tonight, let alone having to remember the accident.

"Too far was a long time ago, Stefan. This is just for kicks", Katherine said, "Elena, you are going to go to sleep and relive every moment as if you were awake in that car again. You'll hear every scream and feel all the pain, like you're in the car. Except, this time you know the truth."

"The truth?" Elena whimpered.

"Yes. That your parent's are going to die. But more importantly, that it was all your fault."

"No. It was _not_ my fault", Elena weakly demanded.

"Yes, Elena. _You_ were the one that wanted to go to the party that night. _You_ were the one that wanted to skip family night. _You_ were the one that got too drunk to be able to drive home. _You_ were the reason that your parents were even in the car that night. It _IS_ your fault, and if _you_ hadn't gone to that party, they would still be alive. It's your fault, and you _know_ it."

"Elena, don't listen to her! It's not your fau—" Stefan began yelling but was promptly cut off when Katherine threw a knife from her pocket into his lung.

"You will go to sleep, and relive every moment of the car accident, Elena. And everything you say in the car, you will say out here. Do you understand?" Katherine asked.

"I understand." And with that monotone answer, Elena sealed the deal. After that moment, her life would never be the same.

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DUN DUN DUUUUUN! So, what exactly is Elena going to remember about that night so that her life will "never be the same"? Hmmm...any guesses? Next chapter is going to be pretty depressing, but don't worry! Katherine is still going to be funny :) well, feedback is love people! So read and review :D

-kiki :)

btw: only 26 more days of torture!


	6. Thanks for the Memories

So, I'm really glad you guys liked the last chapter! I got some super-duper encouraging reviews for it, and I'm so thankful for every single one of them! you guys said the last chapter was good, and I hope this one will be, too...but it's gonna be pretty depressing :( but there's an epic fight scene at the end...kinda... ANYWAYS... I hope you enjoy it, and here's chapter 6!

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_

_"You will go to sleep, and relive every true moment of the car accident, Elena. And everything you say in the car, you will say out here. Do you understand?" Katherine asked._

"_I understand." And with that monotone answer, Elena sealed the deal. After that moment, her life would never be the same._

Elena laid down, her eyes automatically closing. Katherine had compelled her to sleep, but in all truthfulness she was absolutely exhausted—so much so that compelling was unnecessary to get her to pass out. She vaguely heard Stefan and Damon yelling at Katherine to stop, and trying to wake her up before she could sleep. But it was too late—Elena was already in her dream, and there wasn't anything the brothers or Katherine could do about it anymore.

"_Look, I'm sorry! Okay, I had a little too much fun at the party! Would you rather I have driven myself home drunk?" Elena argued. Her parents were sitting in the front seat, and extremely angry with her. She had skipped family night to go to a party with Bonnie and Caroline, and had gotten a little tipsy. After calling her parents, they came and picked her up. _

"_No, Elena. We would rather you have been responsible for once in your life!" her mother yelled at her from the passenger-side seat._

_They were driving along the winding roads, looking down at the water next to the road. Elena looked out the front window and saw Wickery Bridge, where her, Bonnie, and Caroline had played as kids. It had always creeped her out, but she'd still had fun playing witchy games with her friends._

_Her dad was driving, and as he got closer and closer to the bridge, Elena began to get a foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, her father cursed. The car jerked to the side of the road as he tried to gain control of the car again, but it was too late. As the car swerved off the bridge, Elena looked out the back window and thought she saw something weird. Was that a person in the middle of the road? She locked eyes with the woman, and it was…herself? It was like she was looking in a mirror. Except this girl's eyes were cold and empty, unlike Elena's._

_Elena snapped back to the front, and realized that the car was about to crash into the water. Her mom was screaming, and her dad was right with her. Elena let out a shriek just as the car hit the water, and she hit her head against the front seat—unconsciousness taking her before she could even blink. _

_Elena knew that she had blacked out, but it was like she was still awake in the car. She saw her parents trying to get the doors open, but the pressure left them locked. Grayson turned around to look at his daughter, and knew that he would never see her alive again. Miranda was sobbing, and as the water began to rise higher and higher in the car, Elena knew what was going to happen._

_She looked out the window, and saw a figure swimming towards the car. Shocked, she realized that it was a man—and she felt like she knew him, even though she had never seen him before. He was outside of the car's front window signaling to her father. But her father wouldn't let the man save him until Elena was safe. _

_As the man crashed through the window to get Elena's body out, she felt a suffocating wave of sorrow come over her as she realized that this was the last time she would ever see her parents alive._

_Suddenly, she was pulled back to her body. She opened her eyes, and realized she was in a hospital bed. There was somebody leaning above her—a doctor. _

"_Wh-where are my parents?" she mumbled. The doctor gave her a pitied look, and didn't even have to say anything before Elena burst into heart-wrenching sobs._

Elena woke up gasping for air. Her face was wet, and her body was shaking from the heart-wrenching sobs that she had been experiencing in the dream. She looked up and realized she was back in the dungeon with Katherine, Stefan, and Damon. 'Oh great. From one nightmare to another', she thought.

She sat up, noting in the back of her mind that her arm and side were no longer hurting. She glanced at Stefan through her tears, and saw his face. It was the exact same look the doctor had given her in the hospital when she woke up to find her parents dead. Damon had a similar look on his face, but he didn't understand quite as well what had happened.

"Well, I see our little napper woke up finally", Katherine joked, and Elena noticed her sitting in an armchair in the corner of the room. Part of her wondered when that had gotten there, but a sudden wave of pure anger, fury, and unfiltered hatred washed through her entire body, causing it to shake.

She wrenched herself off the ground and rushed at Katherine, finally remembering the cause of her fury. The claws that she normally kept to herself came out for the first time since the accident, and they were directed right at Katherine. "YOU KILLED THEM! YOU WERE THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD! YOU KILLED THEM!" she screamed in complete agony, as she tried to get close enough to the vampire that was just out of reach.

"So you remembered that part", Katherine smirked, "Good, now you have someone to blame—yourself. If you hadn't looked so much like me, your father wouldn't have been so shocked. He wouldn't have swerved to avoid hitting his _daughter_ in the road, and he'd probably still be alive. So it _IS_ your fault."

Elena screeched at the woman, flinging herself towards her—trying to decapitate her with her bare hands. Katherine easily dodged the human's attack and threw her across the room again, this time leaving her in a heap in between Stefan and Damon.

The two brothers had watched the fight, knowing they couldn't do anything to stop it. Stefan had never seen Elena like that, so broken and angry. He hoped that he never had to see it again.

Elena sat up, still partially conscious after being thrown across the room twice within a few hours and screamed at Katherine, "YOU BITCH! YOU RUINED MY LIFE!" Then she promptly fell over onto Stefan's lap, sobbing about her new-found knowledge.

"Well, I guess my job's done for now", Katherine stated as she left the basement, leaving two hurt boys, and one extremely broken, angry, and desperate human girl. What else could possibly go wrong?

* * *

so, did you like it? Elena got a bit of action there, and some memories she really didn't want to relive :( poor Elena :( but hey, at least she got to scratch Katherine up a little bit! Next chapter's gonna have some more action between those two, so I hope you like it :) anyways, as always! feedback is love, so read and review!

-kiki :)

btw: only 23 more days until this dumb-ass hiatus is OVER! :D


	7. Powerful Reaction

Hey, everybody :) I hope you all enjoyed my rendition of Elena's car accident, it took a while for me to get it the way I wanted it! Anyways, thanks so much to everybody for reviewing, I really appreciate all of them! This chapter has some action, some confusion, and some super-smart-mouthing :D I hope you guys like it!_

* * *

_

_Elena sat up, still partially conscious after being thrown across the room twice within a few hours and screamed at Katherine, "YOU BITCH! YOU RUINED MY LIFE!" Then she promptly fell over onto Stefan's lap, sobbing about her new-found knowledge._

"_Well, I guess my job's done for now", Katherine stated as she left the basement, leaving two hurt boys, and one extremely broken, angry, and desperate human girl. What could possibly go wrong?_

Stefan wanted more than anything to hold Elena until she stopped sobbing, but with his arms tied behind his back it was impossible. She was sobbing so hard that even he was shaking, and there was nothing he could do to comfort her.

Elena pulled herself up to lay against his side with her head on Stefan's shoulder, and he leaned his head against hers while mumbling words and phrases to help her get through this. He couldn't lose her—not like this. Damon looked on the two with pity, knowing that what Elena was going through was much worse than any physical pain that he and Stefan had ever gone through.

* * *

They sat like that for hours, waiting for Katherine to come back. Eventually Elena had stopped crying, just laying against Stefan and taking deep breaths.

When the door to the basement finally opened and Katherine entered, the boys looked up. Elena just glared at the woman as she walked in, and to nobody's surprise, Katherine glared right back.

"So, Elena. Have we calmed down yet? I can't put up with your stupid crying—you're just so weak it makes sick", Katherine taunted. Elena shot a look of daggers towards her doppelganger, who laughed at the girl's face.

"Wow. Are we mute, now? You somehow managed to disobey me before, why not now?" Katherine teased, "Oh, is it because you're the 'bigger person'? Don't want to start a fight? Well here's a newsflash, Elena. You don't even have to be here to start a fight. You aren't that important."

Elena rolled her eyes, and was automatically wrenched from Stefan's arms by her collar and shoved into the wall face-first. "You think you're so special? Guess what—you aren't. You're only here to die and break the curse. So get over yourself", Katherine hissed directly into Elena's ear. The girl grimaced as she was pushed further into the rough wall.

"I'm not special?" Elena accused, but most of the sound was absorbed into the wall, "Well at least I have a reason for living—to save your worthless ass! But you—on the other hand—are a waste of space. You lost any value when you killed yourself. So who's the weak one now?"

"Shut up, Elena", Katherine threatened, but Elena didn't listen.

"I didn't give up. But you did, you took the easy way out. How long did it take you to hang the rope up? How did you manage to be quiet long enough for Rose and Trevor not to notice-I mean, if _you _haven't noticed, you don't stay quiet for very long before you have to make some smart-ass comment. So how did you do it, Katherine? Did you hit your breaking point? Couldn't take the pressure?" Elena continued.

"SHUT UP!" Katherine yelled back, but Elena pressed on further

"Too upset that you were going to have to die? Oh, and maybe your poor little baby would never get to see her real mother", Elena taunted further. "Well I've gotta say, if I were her, I'd rather have been an orphan than your daughter, too!"

Katherine screamed and threw her back against the wall. She stalked over towards Elena and grabbed her by the neck, loving the shivers that it was sending down the scared girl's spine. Reaching down to retrieve something out of her pocket, she pulled out the dagger that she had used to stab Stefan earlier. Katherine shoved the knife into Elena's abdomen, smirking the entire time as Elena screamed.

Elena felt the dagger being pulled out of her, and cried out in pain—clutching her stomach and trying to stop the blood-flow so that Katherine's blood could heal her. She was dropped to the ground still breathing heavily. Slowly the wound began to heal itself, and she looked down to see that she was covered in blood, dirt, and tears.

'That'll teach you to mess with me again', Katherine thought. But when Elena's head shot up to look at her in the face, she realized something was wrong. Elena had a range of emotions flying across her face—confusion, bewilderment, anger, sorrow, and more confusion. Katherine hadn't said anything, but it was almost like she had.

"What did you say?" Elena asked, flabbergasted. She had heard what Katherine said, but it sounded weird—like a dream.

"Nothing….I didn't say anything…" Katherine said, since she was just as confused as Elena.

"No, no. You said, 'That'll teach you to mess with me again'. I heard it", Elena argued.

"Elena, she didn't say anything", Stefan said from the wall. Both of the brothers looked confused—an emotion that was beginning to be pretty common in their prison cell.

Katherine looked at Elena as if she had seen a ghost—or better yet, as if Klaus had just walked into the room. "I—I have to go", Katherine muttered as she sped out of the room. That was the second time within a few hours that Katherine had been at a loss for words. What the hell was going on?

Both of the boys were staring at Elena as if she were mentally unstable. Actually, Elena was feeling pretty unstable. She had been tortured by her doppelganger, been forced to torture her boyfriend by her doppelganger, discovered that her parents were dead because of her doppelganger, and now she could read her doppelganger's thoughts. Katherine had screwed up her life when she came to town, but she had managed to turn Elena's life completely upside down within the course of a few hours locked in this basement. 'I must be crazy', Elena thought to herself.

"What the hell just happened?" Damon questioned as all three shared confused looks.

"I—I heard her talk….but she wasn't really talking?" Elena said questioningly—not quite believing it herself. She could have sworn Katherine had said something, but apparently not.

"No…she wasn't…" Stefan answered.

"So what, am I like a mind-reader now?" Elena questioned, "It's not like I've ever heard anyone's thoughts before."

"Well, can you hear what I'm thinking right now?" Damon asked. She concentrated on his face, but nothing.

"No, I can't hear anything", Elena explained.

Damon chuckled, "Good. That was something I did _not_ want you to know." Elena and Stefan both looked questioningly at him, but he just arched his eyebrows and shot a grin in their direction.

Suddenly, Stefan remembered what Katherine had done to Elena before the whole "mind-reading"-thing had happened. "Are you okay?" Stefan worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Stefan", Elena answered, "Katherine's blood healed me, I guess." Elena grimaced at the thought of her doppelganger, when suddenly she felt a hard pressure in her head, and was pulled from that hell hole and back into civilization. But it wasn't completely her—it was her. In Katherine's body.

* * *

so, how was it? Any thoughts? Comments? Reactions? We're going to figure out what the heck is going on with the two twins soon, I promise :) but there are going to be more "doppelganger hijinks" until then! I hope you all enjoyed it, and remember that feedback is love! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

btw: OMG! guess what! only 20 days until the next episode! twenty. freaking. days. I saw somebody call this break the "hiatus from hell", and thought it was pretty suiting, because everyday is harder & harder to survive :( when do we get to see more of those hunky vampires? :{


	8. Where'd they go?

Hey, everybody! I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter, and I'm also glad I managed to confuse a few of you! I hope that this chapter will help explain everything a little bit-but you won't find out everything until later on in the story :) So, Elena in Katherine's body? Hmm, guess you'll just have to read to find out! So here it is, the explanation [kind of...], chapter 8!

* * *

_Suddenly, Stefan remembered what Katherine had done to Elena before the whole "mind-reading"-thing had happened. "Are you okay?" Stefan worried_

"Y_eah, I'm fine, Stefan", Elena answered, "Katherine's blood healed me, I guess." Elena grimaced at the thought of her doppelganger, when suddenly she felt a hard pressure in her head, and was pulled from the hell hole and back into civilization. But it wasn't her—it was her. In Katherine's body._

Elena—well, Katherine—was in a large room. The walls were a deep red, and the furniture littered around the room looked plush, velvety almost. Katherine looked around, and frowned. Something was missing—Elena didn't know what, but when Katherine's face suddenly lit up, she figured it out. Of course, the bitch wouldn't go anywhere without her purse—it probably had more things to torture them with.

She glanced back at the door that she'd just walked out of, and thought to go check on the captives. Shrugging, she walked to the front door in the room and opened it; rays of sunshine flooded the room, and in a very Katherine-esc fashion, she took her sunglasses out and placed them over her eyes. Walking out the door, she headed out towards the small convertible that she most likely stole from one of her victims, and got in.

Looking out the front window, Katherine took the keys out of her purse and put them in the ignition. All Elena could see was a house. It was brick, and looked as though it were surrounded by a forest. As the car drove down the road, Elena looked for anything—anything that might give her a hint as to where they were being held hostage. She couldn't see anything, when suddenly they passed by a dead tree on the side of the road, and Elena knew exactly where they were. She wanted to jump for joy at this new realization, when suddenly she was shoved back into the prison.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw Stefan and Damon leaning above her—arguing about how to wake her up. She groaned at the sharp pain in her head (apparently a side-effect of whatever it was she had just done), and the boys looked down at her.

"Thank god you're okay! What happ—" Stefan began, concern etched all over his face. She made a mental note to go out on a relaxing vacation as soon as they got out—one that didn't include evil werewolves trying to kill them.

"I know where we are."

* * *

Bonnie woke up to an annoying ringing in her ears. She moaned, and sat up. Glancing through slitted-sleep deprived-eyes, she realized that the source of the ringing was her cell phone. Apparently she'd fallen asleep texting Jeremy last night.

Giggling at the thought of Jeremy, she reached down to pick up the phone. The caller ID said that Caroline was calling. 'At…9 am?' Bonnie thought, looking at the time, 'She never gets up before 11 on a weekend… Must be important.' She flipped the phone open, and heard a loud sigh.

"Caroline? What's wrong?" Bonnie asked.

"Why do you automatically assume something's wrong?" Caroline accused—obviously in a bad mood.

Bonnie laughed, and explained, "Well, you haven't woken up before eleven o'clock since middle school."

"Ugh, I guess you're right. I just can't get this feeling of dread out. It feels like something's wrong with Elena", Caroline agreed, attempting to explain her new-found intuition. Well, it wasn't really new—Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena had been able to tell whenever one of them was in trouble since they were kids. "I haven't seen or heard from her since yesterday morning, and neither has Jeremy."

"I'm sure she's just at Stefan's house and turned her phone off", Bonnie assured her and got up to get ready for the day, but gradually began to feel a sense of danger when she noticed that she hadn't heard from Elena since yesterday, either.

"Well, Stefan and Damon won't pick up their phones, either. I'm headed over there now to see if they're just ignoring me", Caroline added in, driving down the road. Pulling into the Salvatore's long driveway, she began to feel worse—something was "off" about the house. She couldn't hear anybody in it, and yet Elena, Stefan, and Damon's cars were all in the driveway. "I'm here, Bonnie. Lemme go see if anybody's home", Caroline told her friend, who was still on the phone.

She walked up to the front door and realized she'd been right—something _was_ wrong. The door was open and swaying with the breeze, and the house felt as if nobody had been there for a while. She walked into the library and gasped.

The furniture was strewn about the room, and books had fallen off the shelves. She could smell vervain, and blood. 'Oh god, Elena', Caroline thought, horrified. There was a glass of whiskey on one of the few tables that had been left untouched, and Caroline picked it up. It had been there for a while, and when she looked at the rim, she saw lipstick. 'Elena doesn't drink', she thought, 'and she doesn't wear that shade, either.' Slowly, understanding crept over her, and she gasped again. Katherine had been here. Apparently, she'd hurt Elena, and when Stefan and Damon had tried to stop her, Katherine had used their still-weak-tolerance of vervain against them.

"Caroline? What is it? Are you okay?" Bonnie wondered out loud when she heard her friend's astonishment. Immediately expecting the worse, she got her keys and headed down the stairs. Then, Caroline said the one thing Bonnie had been dreading during the whole conversation.

"Oh my god. It's bad, Bonnie. Really bad. I think you should get over here. NOW."

* * *

So, did that help clear a few things up? I hope so :) I decided that it was about time the people in the outside world started to get worried about Elena, Stefan, and Damon-since they HAVE been gone for about a day or so without any contact :P I hope my portrayals of Caroline and Bonnie were good, but as always, I love comments :) feedback is love, people! Read and review :D

-kiki :)

btw: only 17 more days until the show is back! I know that's still an excrutiatingly painful amount of time, but hey. Look it this way: we've already made it through 25 days! ok. that sounded better in my head...


	9. The Turning Point

Hey, everybody! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a week...everything got really busy school, and I just didn't have any new chapters to add or any time to write new chapters :( But I've finally finished chapter nine, and I really hope you like it! I appreciate everyone's reviews! Thanks so much for taking the time to tell me what you liked, didn't like, or thought was pretty darn cool :) In this chapter, Caroline & Bonnie are finally figuring things out (took them long enough, right?), and Stefan, Damon, and Elena are trying something new... do you think either group will be successful? Guess you'll have to read to find out! So here it is...finally after a WEEK of waiting, chapter NINE! :D

* * *

"_Caroline? What is it? Are you okay?" Bonnie wondered out loud when she heard her friend's astonishment. Immediately expecting the worse, she got her keys and headed down the stairs. Then, Caroline said the one thing Bonnie had been dreading during the whole conversation._

"_Oh my god. It's bad, Bonnie. Really bad. I think you should get over here. NOW."_

Bonnie hung up, and was already halfway down the street within seconds. What had happened? Was anyone hurt? She flew down the road, ignoring the speed limit and road signs. A few minutes (and broken laws) later, Bonnie pulled up in behind Caroline's car and ran out of the car to the house.

"Caroline! What's wro—", Bonnie began, but when she saw the mess in the library, she suddenly understood, "Oh."

"They're gone, Bonnie. Stefan, Damon, and Elena—they're just….gone", Caroline was mumbling, and running around the room, trying to find any clues as to where Katherine had taken them. She had clearly been crying, but was now focused on finding her friends.

"Caroline, wh—what happened?" Bonnie whispered in horror.

"Katherine happened. She came in while Stefan, Damon, and Elena were researching, attacked Elena, and 'vervain-ed' Stefan and Damon—at least, that's what I'm guessing happened…" Caroline explained.

"But why? I mean, Katherine was home free—literally! She could've gone anywhere, and yet she stayed here to kidnap these three? Why?" Bonnie wondered. While waiting for Caroline to answer she looked around the room and gathered any candles she could find.

"Oh, I don't know Bonnie. Maybe because they tried to kill her, or because they locked her in the tomb, or because Stefan offered her up to Klaus. Or hey! Maybe she kidnapped them because she could—because she was pissed off. I don't know, but she had a whole list of reasons to chose from", Caroline smarted back, realizing that she shouldn't be taking out her anger on Bonnie—it wasn't her fault.

Bonnie had collected 14 candles and placed them in a circle around her on the floor by the time Caroline stopped venting, and decided not to respond. She knew her best friends—Caroline was mad, but she'd figure out how to get over it long enough to save Elena, who would be able to handle any emotional trauma Katherine threw at her. But it was the physical torture that Bonnie was worried about—Elena was mentally strong, but she was about as weak as they got when it came to fighting against a 500 year old vampire.

When Caroline saw what Bonnie was doing, she gasped in realization. "Bonnie! You can figure out where they are!"

"I can try. Lets just hope that I can do it without Jeremy's blood relation to Elena. We don't have time to get him here, too."

"Well, I can help. What do you need?" Caroline questioned.

"You. Give me your hand—I can channel power from you into the spell, then we can find Elena."

Caroline sat down in the circle with her friend and grasped her hand firmly. Bonnie gave her a small smile, and closed her eyes. She'd been practicing so much, the grimoire wasn't even necessary to get it right. She started to chant, and Caroline gasped when the flames in the candles jumped a foot high. But when she looked at Bonnie's face, she knew that something was wrong. Her chanting had grown more strained, and she looked frustrated.

Bonnie was trying as hard as she could to find a location—but it was like there was a buffer between her and the magic. She could feel Elena's presence somewhere, but she couldn't tell where she was—her surroundings were blurred to the point that they were unrecognizable. Groaning, she stopped chanting and opened her eyes to a very worried Caroline.

"What's wrong, Bonnie? Did you see Elena?"Caroline asked.

"No. I couldn't see her, Caroline", Bonnie explained.

"Besides the fact that we still don't know where they are, is that bad?"

With a tired look on her face, Bonnie was upset when she concluded with, "Yeah. It's really bad."

* * *

"What do you mean you know where we are? And what the hell just happened?" Damon interrogated her.

"I…I don't really know. It was like, one minute I was here, and the next I was up there", she explained, pointing up the stairs towards the door.

"'Up there'? What is up there?" Stefan questioned.

"Katherine's house. I was…in Katherine's head for a minute, I think…" Elena mused, not really sure of what had happened, "Maybe its some weird 'doppelganger thing'?"

"I'm not sure. Wait! Where are we?" Damon wondered.

"Right down the road from Wickery Bridge. I saw the old tree that me, Bonnie, and Caroline used to climb as kids. But we don't have time for that! We have to go!"

"We can't, Elena. Katherine…" Stefan began, but Elena interrupted.

"No! She's gone! She left, and if we want to get out of here, we have to go NOW!" Elena urged. She ran struggled to get to her feet and stumbled over to Katherine's shelf, grabbing a knife and running back to the boys. Quickly, she leaned behind Stefan and cut his ropes, then handed him the knife—watching as he sped to cut the rest of them.

Stefan and Damon were on their feet in seconds, and instantly placed themselves in front of Elena in case Katherine came back.

"Hurry, I don't know when she's coming back!" Elena whispered. They each grabbed a stake, and carefully walked to the door. Damon inched his hand out to the door-knob, and turned to smirk at the two when it turned easily in his hand and opened up to the huge red room.

They walked to the front door, and yet again—it easily opened in Damon's hand. But just as they were about to walk outside, Katherine's car pulled up. Damon sped towards the car, and Stefan grabbed Elena's hand and began to run before Katherine could stop them.

Elena screamed when she hit the wall. Just like when Damon had locked her in her house to keep her from hurting herself while Stefan was in the tomb, she was kept from the outside world by the exact same barrier. Stefan looked back, confused as to why Elena had stopped, but realized why with horror. Katherine was out of the car, and sped to stand behind the girl. She wrapped one arm around her waist, and the other around her neck in a choke-hold and laughed evilly.

"You really thought I'd just let you go? Don't you remember? I have a witch on my side, too, boys. Now, run along and find your little vampire slayers so you can save your lovely Elena."

"There's no way we're leaving without her, Katherine", Stefan exclaimed.

"Well, then I guess there's no way to save her. If you stay here, Elena will be stuck in here forever, and she'll starve or else you two will get hungry enough to eat her yourselves. If you go, then you leave her alone with me. So which is it going to be?"

"We're stay—" Damon began to counter, when Elena's small voice cut through.

"Go."

"What? Elena, there's no way in hell we're leaving you here!"

"I'll be fine. Go find Bonnie and get her to reverse the spell."

"But Elena…"

"I'll be fine, Stefan. Now go", Elena sighed. She saw the conflicted feelings fly across both Stefan and Damon's faces. But with a small nod, she blinked and they both disappeared—leaving her alone with Katherine.

"Looks like we finally get some time to ourselves, Elena", Katherine grinned, "Oh don't worry, we're going to have _tons_ of fun."

* * *

So something's goin' on with Bonnie & Caroline, and we found out that Elena has been trapped in the house w/ Bitch face...I mean Katherine :D Who do you think the new witch is in the equation? Oh, and who caught my reference to the show? (besides the title, obviously!) If you figure it out, I might even give you a sneak peek to the next chapter before its up! Ooo, don't you just love bribes? Well, any thoughts, ideas, comments-I'd love to hear them all! So as always, feedback is love, people. So read and review!

-kiki :)

btw: OH-MY-EFFING-GOD! WE ARE ALMOST DOWN TO SINGLE DIGITS UNTIL THE NEXT EPISODE, GUYS! WHO'S EXCITED? I'm not. haha, jk :D


	10. Fun

Hey everybody :) I know I haven't updated in a while, and I'm sorry for that :( I've had major writer's block for this story, so while I've gotten plenty of stuff ready for my other story, I've only gotten this chapter done for Revenge of the Kat :/ For the record, I _did_ try to update last night with this chapter, but fanfiction wouldn't let me log in! I kind of hate this chapter a lot, but hey. I'm a perfectionist-always too hard on myself! So, here it is. Chapter 10 :)

* * *

_"Looks like we finally get some time to ourselves, Elena", Katherine grinned, "Oh don't worry, we're going to have __tons__ of fun."_

"What are you going to do to me?" Elena asked with a small voice.

"Don't sound so scared, Elena. I meant exactly what I said; we're going to have tons of fun!" Katherine laughed as the human glared up at her. 'Wow', she thought to herself, 'This girl really _does _have the Petrova Fire. No one else would ever look at me that way and live.' Katherine let go of Elena, knowing that there was nowhere she could go in the house that Katherine couldn't find.

Elena turned around to face the vampire whose face was absolutely identical to hers. She wasn't sure what she had been smoking when she told Stefan and Damon to leave—there was no way she was going to make it out easily when it came to Katherine.

"My definition of fun is being anywhere other than here with you. So unless you get your witch to release the spell so I can leave, you'll be the only one really having fun", Elena griped. Katherine looked at Elena and glared. She could feel the fear coming off in waves from Elena, and Katherine was loving every minute of it.

"Well if that's how you feel about it, then I guess it'll just be fun for me", Katherine threatened. Still holding Elena by the throat and the waist, Katherine felt her fangs lengthen and the veins beneath her eyes became more prominent. Elena took a deep, scared breath and braced herself for the inevitable pain to come as Katherine placed her lips on Elena's neck. Her fangs teased along the human girl's neck, and she pinched a piece of skin between her teeth, earning a shudder from Elena.

Just as she expected Katherine to pierce her teeth through Elena's neck, Elena was thrown against the wall. Black spots clouded her vision as her head collided with the dry-wall. The world began to darken, and Elena willingly gave in to unconsciousness.

When Katherine was sure that Elena was completely out, she turned towards the closet door on the other side of the room. "Harmony, you can come out now. My boring twin is finally out-cold", Katherine complained. She grinned as the door to the closet opened slowly, revealing a tall woman. Her wavy, blond hair extended to the small of her back, ending at her hips. Thick eyelashes framed her bright blue eyes, and mischievous grin finished off her clean, pale complexion.

"You would think that it would only take a vampire a matter of minutes to clean up their closet", Harmony teased, "there was barely any room for me to stand in there!"

"You're the witch here", Katherine shrugged and laughed, "don't you have some special spell that could clean it up for me?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"You know it", Katherine agreed, "So what can you do about those pesky Salvatore brothers?"

"What do you want me to do to them?"

"Well, it would be great if they came back here to stay for a while. But there's no way they would unless their _precious Elena _was in danger."

"Isn't danger more of your forte?" the woman asked.

"True, but I know Stefan. He'd come in here to save her, and bring her right out."

"But how? My spell is unbreakable except by a witch more powerful than myself. And trust me, there aren't many of those out there."

"How about a Bennett?" Katherine asked. She had been so sure of her witch, but when she saw Harmony's eyes widen, she knew that she had been wrong. "Do _not _tell me that a Bennett witch could beat you."

"B-Bennett? That's the witch they have?" Harmony asked, suddenly regretting the powerful spells that she had placed on the girl and the house.

"Yes they have a Bennett witch! I told you, her name is Bonnie Bennett!" Katherine yelled in her rage, not noticing her doppelganger beginning to stir from her sleep.

"I didn't realize she was a Bennett! You just told me her first name! Didn't you know that Bennett witches are the most powerful witches in the world?" Harmony yelled back at the angry vampire—knowing that she could still fend off any attack Katherine threw at her.

Elena was roused from her sleep by the two women's screaming. Her vision was clouded from hitting the wall, and it was hard to distinguish furniture from people. She knew that one of them was Katherine, but the only thing she could see about the other woman was her blond hair. As she listened to them argue, she realized that the blond haired one was a witch—yet not as powerful of one as Bonnie.

"What if I told you that she barely knew how to use her powers?" Katherine asked.

"Even then, there's only a fifty-fifty chance that I can keep tricking her like this. The spell to block the girl's location from her was difficult enough as it is, and I'm not sure how long that will hold up before she figures out how to break it, too."

"Great. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans", Katherine muttered, obviously pissed off that her plan A wasn't going as well as she'd planned. "So clearly there isn't much more you can do for me. But I _do _have one more request—on top of locking and blocking Elena from the outside world", she smirked.

"And that would be?"

"I need you to make the house invisible to any…unwelcome visitors", Katherine said with a mischievous look on her face, "and then, I need you to lock one more person in here."

"And who is that?"

"Stefan Salvatore."

As soon as Katherine said the name of her boyfriend, Elena shot up off the floor. "No, please don't bring him back into this!" Elena cried, knowing that neither she nor Stefan would make it out alive if she did.

"Ah, looks like our little prisoner is awake", Katherine taunted, "And Elena, don't worry. If you think I'm going to do to Stefan what I did to you, you haven't seen anything yet."

Elena struggled to get to her feet, but Katherine was immediately upon her. "Can't have you ruining my master plan, now can I? So why don't you take a little nap", Katherine said as she pulled out a syringe and stabbed it into Elena's side.

Elena screamed out in pain, and as the drug began to take control of her, she could only think of Stefan. She had to find some way to warn him not to come into the house, but if she knew Katherine, there wouldn't be a chance to tell him. Then she realized that she was never getting out of this house alive, just before she passed out.

* * *

How was it? I still don't like this chapter...but whatever :) so Katherine has some evil plan for Stefan. Any guesses as to what it is? I'll try to update quicker next time, but it all depends on how fast the story comes to me. So if the characters don't want to do anything, then they aren't going to do anything. and I'm not going to write anything :/ but anyways, as always: feedback is love, people :) so read and review :D

-kiki :)

btw: who thought that this week's new episode was frigging epic? I did! And I cannot wait for The Last Dance! I wanna know what Damon does to shock everyone, and how Klaus sends disturbing messages "from an odd source" (well, besides what's in the extended preview-which looks frigging AMAZING, btw! man, they're being really nice 2 us, giving us a almost a whole minute and a half for a single episode!)... but anyways, we only have four days, people :) and I can't wait! :D


	11. The Plan

Hey, everybody! I'm really sorry I haven't updated lately, but if you have read my _The Power of the Sacrifice _story, you would know that I have had a serious case of writer's block for the past week or so on this story :( I want to update for you all so much, but I haven't had time to write, and when I do I can't think of anything! Thank you all soooo much for your awesome reviews, without them I probably wouldn't even be able to update right now! But I'm hoping that this chapter will kind of be a jumping off point so that I can get back on track for some more updates :) so I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Why the hell did we listen to her?" Stefan yelled at Damon as soon as they were across the road in the forest.

"Because we can't get Elena out unless we find Bonnie and get her to lift the spell!" Damon returned to Stefan, "And _that's _why we need to get back to the house and call Bonnie."

Stefan looked incredulously at his brother and scoffed, "I'm not leaving her here."

"Stefan, we have to go find Bonnie!" Damon tried to explain, but he could tell that Stefan wasn't leaving until Elena was out safe and sound.

"Damon. I will _not. _Leave her. _Alone._"

Damon's eyes rolled at Stefan's intense glare and groaned. "FINE. Stefan, _I _will go back to the house to get Bonnie, and bring her back here. You can stay here and watch over Elena." Before Stefan had time to give a retort, Damon was gone. Stefan looked at the tree that they had stopped at, and sat down against it. His head leaned against the tree, and he strained to listen to what was going on with Elena and Katherine. Hearing nothing, all he could hope was that Elena would make it until Damon and Bonnie got back.

* * *

"Well that ought to take care of her for a while", Katherine grinned as she turned back around towards Harmony. When she saw the witch, the smirk automatically left her face. "You know what I want, and I'm pretty sure you do not want to piss me off."

Harmony's eyes widened, and she nodded. "Make the house and the girl invisible, and lock the brother in. Is that all?" Katherine thought for a moment, and shook her head in agreement.

"I assume that you can at least manage that? If not…you know the consequences. Do _not _screw this up." With that, Katherine turned and headed towards the front door. When she reached it, she turned back around to face Harmony. Katherine smirked and winked, but she frowned and raised her eyebrows suggestively, then in a very serious, quiet voice she said, "You know the plan?"

Harmony grinned back and tilted her head back, looking at the old vampire with amusement, and replied, "Hell yeah, I do. Don't worry, I got your back." A quick nod and another grin later, Katherine was gone, leaving Elena and Harmony alone in the house.

* * *

Caroline was still pacing the room as Bonnie freaked out over her inability to see her best friend. "Why can't I see her? I should be able to! Oh god, what if she's dead? What if Katherine killed her? What if—"

"BONNIE! Please. Shut. Up. I need to think, okay?" Caroline yelled as she paced quickly in front of the dead fireplace.

"But what if—" Bonnie continued, but to no avail.

"Bonnie, we can go all day worrying about the 'what ifs', but that's not going to help us find Stefan, Damon, and Elena. Now, where would Katherine have taken them?"

"I don't know. Maybe she compelled someone to let her in", Bonnie suggested. Caroline was focusing on where they would be, but if Bonnie could figure out why she couldn't see Elena, she'd be able to find the location.

"No, that would be too much work. Besides, Katherine likes to be in control, and if she has to keep having the owner invite people in, she'd get frustrated and probably kill them anyways", Caroline continued on. As she began to pace quicker, she thought she heard a noise at the door. Her head turned towards the door to listen, but hearing nothing she turned back towards Bonnie—who was rambling on about how to find Elena.

"I need to do a spell to figure out why she's blocked from my powers", Bonnie was saying. "I'm sure Katherine has a witch at her beckon and call, so I just have to—"

Bonnie was interrupted by Caroline shushing her to be quiet. Caroline knew she had heard something outside, but suddenly there was a large crash through the door. Both girls braced themselves for what was coming, and as the shadowy figure got up, they prepared themselves for the worst.

* * *

Rope. Elena could feel rope. As she came to from Katherine's drugs, it was the first thing she felt—she was tied up to a column in the corner of the room across from the front door. She tried to pull her hands out from behind her back, but instantly gasped as spasms of pain shot through her body.

"Ah, I see you're awake. Do you know how long you've been asleep?" Katherine griped from the loveseat, "Three hours! I thought I'd only given you a little dose, but I guess not. But whatever. Like I care, you're going to end up dead, anyways." Elena's eyes widened as she noticed the blonde setting up candles around her. The front door was closed, and she prayed that Stefan and Damon would be back soon to save her.

"Oh, Elena, I'd like you to meet Harmony. She's my little witch that's keeping yours from saving you", Katherine continued. The blonde girl looked up from the ground and gave a small smirk. She turned her head towards Katherine.

"I'm ready", she said with determination.

"Splendid", was all Katherine replied. The witch sat down in the circle of candles and closed her eyes. She began chanting slowly, picking up speed as the candle flames rose. Elena gasped as a sharp wind blew through the room, slamming the door open and blowing picture frames off the wall. Suddenly, the witch jerked her head up and wrenched her eyes open to glare at Elena.

The ropes fell to the ground, but before she could run away Katherine's arm was around her throat in a choke-hold. Katherine knew that Stefan was waiting right outside, and was just waiting for a moment to save Elena. She looked down at Harmony who was beginning to stand up, and inquired, "What now?"

"Take the picture of you and force her to hold it against her stomach."

Katherine grabbed the picture out of her pocket and shoved it into Elena's hands. The girl tried to fumble it away, but Katherine leaned down to her ear and compelled her, "You will hold the picture against your stomach. You won't fight, but you will feel everything as it happens. Do you understand?" With a quiet agreement, Katherine grinned. "Oh, and feel free to scream as loud as you need."

Stefan had been watching with confusion as the series of events played out in front of him. He had absolutely no clue what Katherine was doing, but he knew that if necessary, he was willing to die so that Elena could get free.

Elena gripped the picture of her doppelganger to her stomach, knowing that what was about to happen could not be good. As she held the picture, she saw the witch begin to chant again—this time looking straight into Elena's eyes. She felt a tingling sensation wash over her, and as it got stronger she saw the witch pull something out of her pocket.

A knife. The witch was holding a knife. As soon as Elena realized what it was, she tensed and pulled in a scared breath. Katherine laughed and grabbed the instrument from Harmony's hands. As soon as she had a hold of the knife, she took it and shoved it into Elena's stomach as far as it could go, and relished the scream that she pulled out of the girl.

She dropped Elena to the floor, and fell to her knees as she felt a surge of pain shoot through her stomach. Surprised, she screamed in unison with the young girl, but as soon as the pain had started it was over.

Knowing that Stefan was just about to come running in the doors, she nodded her head to Harmony to finish with the spells. Elena was beginning to fade as she saw Stefan running across the lawn to save her.

"Stefan…no…" Elena gasped for breath, knowing that if Stefan came into the house, he probably wasn't coming out. But she knew that he would ignore her, and as he bounded over the doorway to grab Elena, she heard Katherine laugh maniacally.

"Welcome back, Stefan", Katherine smirked, "I knew you couldn't stay away for long. And now, you get to stay forever."

* * *

So how was it? Anyone want to take a guess as to what Harmony's spell did? Or who busted through the Salvatores' door? (well that one isn't that hard...) haha, I hope it was good, it took me a while to write :P I'm going to try to update more often, but with the end of the school year, another whole story, and all, it's pretty hard. I also hope that this has managed to bring my muse back, so maybe I'll be able to post once every 5 days or so-that would be _way_ better than the week and a half its been taking me lately! But anyways, I would really love some comments to help me keep going :) as always, feedback is love, people! So read & review!

-kiki :)

btw: who's frigging excited for this weeks episode? Major drama w/ Klaus, Elijah, Stefan, Damon, Jenna, Elena...Oh I give up. This is the Vampire Diaries, people! if there isn't drama with everyone in every episode, then it's not really the Vampire Diaries! :D


	12. Gone

Hey everybody! I know that I haven't update in FOR EVER, but I've been _super _busy with school, Easter, and my birthday. Plus, as you know, I've had so much frigging trouble writing this story :( but I must say, this chapter was easier to write than the last one, so I hope it's good! I really appreciated all of your support and want to thank you for your great reviews! They're partially what made me get down to business and write this whole chapter tonight :) I've been holding it off soo long, I just needed to get it typed and out :) so thank you all for being so loyal and helping me get through this writing funk :) I hope it doesn't disappoint! Oh, and just a heads up, this chapter is going to be a bit confusing. But just hang in there, it'll be explained in the next two chapters!

* * *

"_Welcome back, Stefan", Katherine smirked, "I knew you couldn't stay away for long. And now, you get to stay forever."_

Stefan was through the door before he even heard Elena's whisper. Katherine was cackling about something in the corner, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. His mind was on auto-pilot, and the only thing he could think was that Elena couldn't die.

He sped to her side and saw her eyes drooping shut, as the blood loss began to knock her unconscious. Stefan quickly yanked back his sleeve and bit into his wrist, but as he brought it down to her mouth he was ripped away from her and into the wall.

"What do you think you're doing?" Katherine growled at him. Stefan tried to struggle out of her grasp, but she had over four-hundred years on her—that wasn't going to be easy. His fear for Elena was so strong that he could hear her heartbeat thundering through his head. But it wasn't a thunder, it was more of a dull thud—she was fading, and quick. "Harmony, why don't you take care of our little captive there once and for all", Katherine grinned wickedly as she turned her head towards the witch.

Stefan took that moment of weakness and shoved Katherine down the stairs to the basement she had held them captive in just a few hours before. As soon as he had, he was at Elena's side. He slit his wrist again, but when he brought it down to her mouth, the truth hit him like a thousand daggers flying into his heart at once. His beautiful Elena was dead, and there was no way to bring her back. She was gone.

* * *

Bonnie and Caroline stood at the ready for whatever was coming towards them. The door was thrown against the wall at the impact, and with stakes and cross-bows ready, the two girls moved towards the person stumbling through the hallway.

They were creeping along the way, but then Bonnie realized that it was useless and mentally slapped herself. She summoned up her power, directing it at the figure, and commenced the spell.

An ear-splitting scream shot through the house, and the girls realized with horror that the perceived threat was nothing more than Damon. Bonnie immediately stopped the spell as Caroline ran to the vampire crouched on the ground. Damon's face was contorted in pain and fury, and when he looked up at Bonnie, he had a few choice words.

"Are you out of your freakin' mind? What the hell was that for?" he yelled at the witch as he struggled to get up.

"I'm sorry! Maybe next time you shouldn't make such a 'grand entrance'!" Bonnie screamed back, pissed off that he would blame _her _for his stupidity.

Damon mustered the biggest glare he could with the little energy he had left and said, "Well I'm frigging sorry! Next time I get kidnapped, tortured, and forced to run 10 miles in 2 minutes, I'll make sure to walk in like a gentleman."

"Would you two shut up?" Caroline complained, having grown sick of their bickering ages ago, "Now Damon, please explain why you burst in here like this, and where the hell Stefan and Elena are."

"Well, Elena is locked in the house with queen bitch herself, and Stefan's outside keeping an eye on them—making sure Katherine doesn't try anything dangerous."

"And you're here why?" Caroline asked.

"Somebody had to come get you and the mediocre-witch, Blondie. I just happened to lose rock-paper-scissors", Damon griped, "Now hurry up. We have a long way to go and a short time to get there."

Bonnie and Caroline glanced at each other and, shrugging, grabbed their bags. Following Damon out of the house, they set out on their trek to save the young couple. Caroline hopped in the driver's seat and Damon in the passenger's, leaving Bonnie stuck in the back. They pulled out of the driveway, and Caroline punched on the gas.

"Where does Katherine live?" Caroline asked after driving for a few minutes.

"Right outside of town. Elena mentioned something about a tree…Something you three used to play on as kids?" Damon questioned.

"Oh, the Partner's tree", Bonnie said with certainty.

"The Partner's tree?" Damon questioned, clearly confused by Bonnie's answer.

"Yeah, there's a pizza restaurant about twenty minutes down the road, and we all would go there with our families as kids. The tree was right across the street, so our parents would let us climb it while they talked", Caroline explained.

"But why's it called the _Partner's _tree?"

"The restaurant was named Partner's Pizza, genius. It went out of business a few years back and they replaced it with a house, I think. So that's probably where it is", Bonnie explained. The trio fell back into uneasy silence—not quite sure of what they were about to face.

"We should have brought Ric along", Caroline concluded.

"What? You don't think we can kick Katherine's ass together?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows for effect. He wanted to think positively, but the truth was, he didn't think they'd be able to defeat Katherine. Stefan would be too busy trying to get Elena out, Bonnie would be off giving Katherine a headache, and Caroline would probably stop fighting because she chipped a nail—or something along those lines. To put it bluntly, Damon was pretty sure that the only person he could count on to take out Katherine was himself.

As the car turned the corner towards the old pizza joint, Damon looked for the house that they had been trapped in. They passed by the now-dead "partner's tree", and kept driving before Damon yelled at Caroline to stop. He quickly got out of the car, followed by Bonnie and Caroline.

"That's impossible. It was here, I know it was", Damon was mumbling to himself, a look of confusion painted across his face.

"Damon, what's wrong?" Caroline asked, concerned at his sudden expression.

"The house. It's gone."

"What do you mean its gone?" Bonnie asked, flabbergasted.

Damon was in complete shock—and that was weird for him. He wasn't surprised by anything anymore, but this threw him for a loop. But as he looked back at the empty field that had held the house less than three hours before, he was completely confused.

"I mean, the house was _right here_. And now it's _gone._"

He sped to the edge of the forest and yelled for Stefan, but to no avail. He turned back and was faced with the confused and worried faces of Bonnie and Caroline. But he didn't care—the only thing that mattered was his brother and Elena. But the house was gone. Stefan was gone. And any chance at saving Elena was pretty much gone.

* * *

So, anyone completely confused? If so, that's okay :) I'm going to explain everything in the next few chapters, and then everyone will be on the same base! But anyhow, I want your feedback! Was everyone in character? Feedback is love, people, so read and review!

-kiki :)

btw: Who thought that last night's episode was epic? Here's my opinion of the story, characters, etc:

1. Nina Dobrev is amazing. Her breakdown (which I've been waiting for for TWO SEASONS!) was heart-wrenching, and so much better than that stupid Bella girl's. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Twilight, but I think Bella's an idiot. End of story.  
2. Poor Jenna :( finally let in on the big family secret and BOOM! sucks to be her :(  
3. Greta is a total bitch. Her family searches for her for years, and she doesn't even give a damn? Bitch move. And the whole amazement and my favorite creeper line EVER on this show: "No. She's in transition." TOTALLY. SICK.  
4. Damon was a jackass. Sure, I see where he's coming from: not wanting Elena to die and all. But still, that was HER decision, and he took it away. He totally deserved that werewolf bite. But her doesn't deserve to die, he's too awesome to die (but he doesn't deserve Elena at all for that "dick-move"-as he would've put it)  
5. Where the hell are Bonnie and Jeremy? They've been MIA for the past two episodes. Are they shacking it up in the old Gilbert mansion?


	13. Resurrection

Hey guys! I know it's been a long time since I updated, but with AP tests, finals, and end of the year stuff, it's just gotten pretty busy :( thank you all sooo much for your reviews, I appreciate them so much! I stil haven't found my muse again :( but I'm hoping that the 8 days of school I have left will help with that. Or hey, maybe I'll get back to it when I'm at the beach in two weeks! I love the beach :) but anyways, I'm sorry I haven't updated :( here's chapter 13!

* * *

Stefan could feel the tears running down his face, but the only thing that he could see was Elena. It felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest, crushed by an elephant, burned with acid, and chopped up into little pieces, then replaced in his chest. He couldn't breathe, and it felt like a piece of him had been killed. In essence, it had—Elena had taken a piece of his heart, and now that hers had stopped beating, so had his.

He pulled Elena's body to him, taking in the scent of her hair, the feel of her body, everything. His tears fell down his face against her skin. In the back of his mind, he could hear Katherine groan and get up from the stairs, but Elena was his entire focus.

Katherine stormed up the stairs, and the first person that came into view was Harmony. Their eyes met, and Harmony gave the vampire an assuring nod. Katherine smirked, and then waltzed over to Stefan. She gently laid a hand on his should as she sank down to his eye level. She put on the most sympathetic face she could think of, trying to act like the boring bitch of a doppelganger would, and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Stefan. I didn't mean to let her die."

Stefan looked up at Katherine with a huge scowl on his face. Suddenly, Katherine was thrown across the room and shoved into a wall. Stefan was holding her by her neck, shutting off her unnecessary air-supply. "How could you? You take away everything good in my life, and as soon as I get it back you take it away again!" Stefan screeched at Katherine, and if Elena hadn't just died he would have laughed at the fear in Katherine's face.

"Stefan, I warned you of what would happen if you didn't break up with her. All I did was keep a promise", Katherine gritted out between her teeth. Stefan reached down into his pocket to get the makeshift stake he'd been carving before he'd tried and failed to save Elena. He brought it up to the skin above her heart, and stared into her eyes.

"And that's exactly what I'm doing. I made a promise to myself as soon as I found out you weren't dead. I promised that I would kill you the second I got the chance. So that's what I'm doing."

* * *

"How does a house just disappear?" Bonnie asked critically. She knew that Damon was as focused as he could be, but after being tortured and starved for days she could understand that he would be confused—or delirious.

"How the hell should I know? But it's gone! It was right here", Damon stated, pointing to where the house had been, "and now it's not. So why don't _you _explain how a house can disappear like this!"

Bonnie glared at him, but could understand his fear. If Elena was in there with Katherine, there was no telling what was happening to her. But what Bonnie couldn't figure out was why the house had disappeared. She was sure that Katherine had some type of witch working for her, but Bonnie had no clue how to reverse the spell held over the house.

Bonnie ran back to the car and grabbed the grimoire out of her bag. She muttered a simple spell, and the book flipped open to exactly what she needed. Damon and Caroline had turned around to watch her, and she quickly ran back to the road. She began chanting from the page, and the trio immediately began to see the outline of a house take form.

The two vampires could hear the argument going on inside the house. They started towards the building, but were stopped in their tracks by a horrific sound. The sound of two twin screams.

* * *

Katherine could see that he was really going to kill her. In all of her years, it was the last thing she expected, but it seemed as though everything she had done was crashing down around her. She could see it in his eyes—she'd pushed him to his breaking point. He was really going to kill her if she couldn't save herself. Katherine struggled to get away from his grasp, but the effects of the spell were weighing on her, and it seemed as though Stefan had gotten new-found strength from his heart ache.

Just as he began to push the stake through her chest, he was thrown back down to the floor next to Elena by an invisible force. Katherine looked over to see Harmony chanting, and almost thanked her for saving her life.

Stefan had landed right next to Elena, and immediately felt the grief hit him even harder when he looked into her face. The tears that had been streaming down his face began to come down in rivers. He was just about to reach down and pull Elena towards him when all of the sudden, the unthinkable happened.

Elena jerked up as her eyes flew open. She gasped for breath, and as soon as she was able to get some air, she saw her doppelganger looking her straight in the face from the other side of the room. She was just about to collapse when she felt a surge of power rush through her so fast that she screamed out in agony.

Katherine watched the turn of events curiously, but was unsurprised. She saw her doppelganger shoot up from the ground, coming back to life. Harmony's spell had worked, and Katherine knew just what to expect next. She met Elena's eyes, and knew that the end was near. She felt pain ripple through her body, like she was being burned to a crisp slowly. She let out a loud scream and fell to the ground, the darkness surrounding her.

Harmony grinned, knowing that it was finally over. The bitch was pacified, and her debt was done. But mostly, she was sure of one thing: the spell was complete.

* * *

So, how was it? I hope it was okay, it took me forever to write. Who wants to take a gander at what the spell was? Any guesses, comments, or feedback would be greatly appreciated, but you guys are already so awesome! as always, feedback is love, people! So read and review :D

-kiki :)

btw: who thought last night's finale was amazing? Here's my overview (SPOILER ALERT):

1. Poor Stefan :( he finally gets everything together and happy, then his brother almost dies and he has to make a deal with the biggest jackass-I mean vampire in the world :)  
2. On that same note, poor Damon :( he went through hell, yet managed to get out alive (who would've guessed!) but for the record, that kiss was TOTALLY a pity kiss! Elena thought he was gonna die, so she kissed him. End of story.  
3. On the same note as #1 again, Klaus is a total jackass. I hate him. End of Story, again.  
4. I totally respect all of you who love Elijah, because he _is _a pretty cool dude :) but he's an idiot. I mean, lets do some roleplay-I'm Elijah. Sure, Klaus, I'll totally believe that you just told me the truth because you're really telling the truth-and not because I'm about to kill you. I mean, it's not like you've killed our entire family and are the strongest Wumpire in the world or anything. So sure, I'll totally let you live so that everyone can see what a dumbass I am! End of roleplay :P  
5. Who cried Jeremy's fake-out? :,( long live my favorite druggie! (side note: did he ever stop taking drugs? I don't remember an intervention of any sort...)  
6. Anna's back [kinda]! Yay! Oh, and that annoying bitch person..who was that? Oh yeah. Vickie. Go die again, ghost-vampire-person-thing.


	14. The Spell

Hey everybody :) I know I haven't updated in a while, but just like last week I still haven't found my muse again :( it seems to have taken a vacation to the beach-but that's good, because I might find it when I go there NEXT WEEK! School is over tomorrow, so I'm super excited to have time to write! but anyways, this took me like 5 hours to write, so I hope it's good :) so here it is, chapter 14!

* * *

Excruciating pain. That's all Elena could feel. She knew that Stefan was holding her somewhere in the back of her head, and knew that something had happened to Katherine. But other than that knowledge, pain was the only thing in her mind. It felt like fire was shooting through her veins, burning up every last drop of blood in her body. Someone was scraping sand paper all over her insides—well, that's what it _felt _like.

Stefan had no clue what was going on. Elena was dead; then she wasn't. But she wasn't a vampire. Now she was screaming at the top of her lungs—obviously in extreme pain. But Stefan was still completely clueless. Katherine had fallen to the ground, and the witch was in the corner grinning like she had just won the lottery. Stefan looked down at Elena and tried to comfort her, but his words held little meaning in the big scheme of things.

After what seemed like hours—which, in reality, was probably a mere second or so—the pain began to fade. Elena could see Stefan looking down at her, clearly worried and confused. The burning sensation had subsided, and it no longer felt like she was being ripped apart limb-from-limb.

Her breath was coming in pants, and her head was throbbing. When she looked into Stefan's eyes, she could see how scared he was. Elena smiled weakly at him, and he gave a small grin back. Suddenly, Elena remembered where she was, and she looked around for the witch that had caused all of this. But what exactly was "this"?

Elena watched as Harmony stood up and walked over towards them. When the woman stopped in front of Elena and Stefan, a flicker of emotion flew across her face. Harmony lowered herself to Elena's eye level from where she was laying, but Stefan pulled his girlfriend away from the witch. Harmony frowned, making the sorrow in her eyes apparent to Elena, and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I had to help Katherine, but I owed my life to her. And it might be hard to believe, but she's my friend and she needed my help."

Confused, Elena looked into the witch's face and could tell that she was sincere. "What did you do to me?" Elena asked. Harmony's face fell even more, and she gave Elena a pitied look.

"Not to you—to both of you. She wanted to get revenge on you for taking Stefan from her—and I fell for it. But I know now that he wasn't hers to claim. Now I have to go, but I promise that you aren't the only one that'll feel the side-effects of the spell. Katherine's not going to go unharmed", Harmony assured as she stood up and made her way towards the door.

"Wait! What's the spell? And what side-effects?" Elena yelled towards Harmony. She tried to get up off the floor, but winced as pain shot through her stomach. The young woman turned around and gave a small smile.

"You'll see once she wakes up. But like I said, she's not getting away without feeling the same effects you will."

With that, Harmony opened the door. But as she was about to step out into the fresh air, two people came stumbling into the door. Harmony's eyes got wide as she realized that the spell she'd placed on the house had been discovered and destroyed. Which meant that the Bennett witch she'd been warned of was there. Harmony scuttled out the door and began to run for safety, when the girl was suddenly in front of her. Before she could even mutter a spell, Harmony passed out on the ground with the young witch standing above her.

Bonnie was left standing over the witch's unconscious body. She walked back into the house, leaving Harmony's body lying in the grass, but the scene she saw before her wasn't a pretty one. Stefan was holding Elena just inches away from her own puddle of blood, and Katherine was passed out against the wall. Damon and Caroline were standing just away from the door—clearly just as shocked as Bonnie.

Caroline was first person to find her voice, and she rushed to Elena's side. "Oh my god", was all she said at first, then, "Elena, what happened? Are you okay?"

Elena gave a weak smile and replied, "I don't know what all the theatrics were about, but other than my stomach, I feel fine."

Damon was standing in the doorway watching the encounter. He was just about to walk over when he saw Katherine's body move from the corner. His concerned face suddenly turned sour, and he flashed over to Katherine. He watched as her eyes fluttered open, and before she could say anything he pulled out a dagger and stabbed it into her abdomen.

Damon expected her to cry out in pain, but suddenly he heard the twin screams again. He spun on his heel, and saw with horror that Elena was in pain, also. When he turned back towards Katherine, he saw a despicable smirk on her face, though it was still contorted in pain. "I see Harmony kept up on her promise", Katherine gloated, "but I guess she decided to add a little twist in."

Elena felt the knife tear through her abdomen and screamed out in pain. Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes, and she felt an arm being brought up to her mouth. As she felt Stefan's blood drip down her throat, she opened her eyes. She was fading in and out of consciousness, but Elena heard everything going on in the room. Damon was yelling at Katherine, Caroline and Bonnie were yelling at Damon, and Stefan was talking to Elena, trying to get her to stay awake.

Elena gradually began to come-to again, and she once again saw Stefan's concerned face hovering just above hers. Her breathing was even heavier from blood loss and fatigue, and she could barely keep her eyes open. "What's going on?" Elena whispered.

"I don't know. Why don't we ask Ms. Pierce over here", Damon griped as he turned to glare at Katherine. She smirked, but he was surprised to see pain still evident on her face. She was a vampire—she should have healed already.

"Oh, come on. You haven't figured it out yet?" Katherine teased, waiting to see the looks on their faces. "Harmony put a connection spell on Elena and I. Now, whatever I feel she feels, and any thoughts that I want her to hear she hears."

"And the point of that is…?" Damon griped.

"She's got this great confidence thing going on—but hearing everything I'm thinking will slowly drive her insane", Katherine explained. The group glanced over to Elena—who looked like she was about to be sick.

"Why? Why do you want to torture me so much?" Elena whimpered. Her wound still hadn't healed—which was weird, also, because Stefan had given her his blood which should have healed her.

"You stole the love of my life. Why _shouldn't _I torture you? And besides, where else would I get my kicks?" Katherine retorted. She glared her doppelganger straight in the eyes, and stood up to speed over to her. She was a mere inches away when Bonnie jumped in with her full power.

The girl was just trying to help her best friend, but what she didn't know was that that was exactly what Katherine wanted her to do. As soon as she felt the excruciating pain in her head, she channeled it to Elena and almost laughed out loud when the girl screamed. Elena was practically convulsing on the floor before Bonnie stopped and began expressing her remorse to Elena.

Damon launched himself at Katherine, but was quickly thrown against the opposite wall when Katherine regained her strength. The vampire threw back her head with laughter, and said, "So you see why this is going to be so handy. Elena, I promised fun, so here it is. Let's just hope you're prepared."

Elena was fading quickly, but she had the energy to shoot a menacing glare at her doppelganger before she passed out in Stefan's arms. Katherine chuckled, and before any of the vampires had a chance to stop her she was gone. But every person in the room knew that she'd be back, and whatever she had planned wouldn't be good.

* * *

So how was it? It kind of marks another turning point in the story, so we'll have to see where this spell is going to go-and where Katherine is going! :) Elena went through a lot this chapter, and it's not over yet :( poor Elena! Well, I hope you liked it, and as always Feedback is love, people! So read and review!

-kiki :)

btw: how much longer until September? :{


	15. Coma

Hey, guys :) I know I haven't updated in a _long _time, but my summer has been pretty busy so far-beach the first week, and day camp the second. This week I have a few things going on, but after that I'm pretty much free all summer :) so then I'll be completely free to update more often! But anyways, here's an update :) I don't really like it, but hey! Here it is, chapter 15 :)

* * *

'_Where am I?' Elena thought as she turned around to get a grip on her surroundings. She was in a forest at night. All she could see were trees, when suddenly she remembered everything that had happened. Katherine, torture, the spell, and the stab. _

_She looked down frantically towards her abdomen, but realized with confusion that she wasn't wearing her own clothes. She was wearing a long, flowing gown made of a deep purple silk. Her hair was curled in tiny ringlets, and fluttered in the quiet breeze. _

_Elena was admiring the beautiful gown with confused curiosity, when a delicious scent wafted itself into her nose. She looked up, and the scene had transformed. She was still in the forest, but this time in front of a beautiful rural farm house—obviously from the late 15__th__ century. _

_She was about to look around in amazement when she was suddenly running through the trees to the house. With horror, she realized that the smell was blood from the bodies strewn about the estate. She found herself crying and uttering unidentifiable words, even though she had never met the people or spoken whatever language she was speaking. Out of her control, her body pulled itself up away from a person she'd been kneeling next to, and she ran in the front door of the house—only to find more people lying dead. Elena ran through the house, finding body after body. _

_When Elena entered the bedroom, she saw a middle-aged woman lying dead on the bed with a knife shoved through her heart. She was sobbing by this time, but when she saw the woman's face, Elena realized what was going on. Elena recognized the woman from Petrova family history—it was Katherine's mom, and her father was pinned to the wall less than 2 feet away. She was Katherine—or, living as Katherine in a memory. _

_Suddenly, Elena was whisked away to a large, elegant room. There were people dancing, and a large fire blazing in the regal fireplace. Katherine was waltzing through the room, when she came upon someone even Elena recognized: Elijah. The handsome (currently long-haired) man walked towards her and held out a hand. Katherine grasped it in her gloved palm, and gave Elijah a small smile. After he returned the grin, he saw something over her shoulder and said, "Here he is."_

_Katherine turned to look in the direction Elijah had glanced towards, and came face to face with a handsome, blonde man—probably in his mid-20's. He was grinning wildly and had a special glint in his eyes that was directed at the couple. Katherine looked up at Elijah, waiting for an introduction. Elijah smiled and introduced the two to each other, "Katerina, may I introduce to you the Lord Niklaus."_

_Elena got a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach when that name was uttered. But Katherine seemed to have no qualms, and fell into a curtsy for the lord. Katherine offered her hand to Niklaus, and her gave it a small brush of the lips. As he allowed it back to her, he said, "Niklaus is the name my father gave me. Please, call me Klaus."_

Elena awoke with a gasp, and glanced around the room frantically. Her eyes were open wide, and she was taking in breaths of air as if she hadn't been able to breathe in a year. Suddenly, she felt a hand gently land on her arm. Her head spun towards the touch, and found herself looking into the eyes of Stefan. "Hey, hey", he tried to calm her, "it's okay. You're safe—just lay back down."

Elena was confused. Why did she have to lie down? She should have been healed from Stefan's blood quickly. But when she looked down, she saw a deep red beginning to stain her shirt again—causing her to be even more confused. "Wh-what's going on?" she said frantically as Stefan guided her back down to the bed. Her hands fluttered back down to her stomach, and she pulled her shirt up to see her stab wound acting up again. Perfectly normal….except hadn't Stefan given her his blood? It should've been healed by now.

Stefan was giving her a sad look, and she reiterated her ignorance of the situation. "Stefan, what's going on? Why haven't I healed yet?" Elena asked, stronger, but still frantic.

"Truthfully, Elena…we don't know. You've been unconscious for eleven hours, and my blood should have healed you…but…it didn't", Stefan sort of explained. Elena stared at him with an exasperated look on her face, not understanding what Stefan was saying.

"What do you mean it didn't heal me? Isn't that what vampire blood does?"

"Yeah, but we think it might be because of the spell that Harmony did", Stefan said, still not really explaining much of anything.

"Which was…?" Elena asked, still not knowing anything about what was happening to her.

"It basically linked you and Katherine together—just like Lucy did at the masquerade ball. Except, it's an even stronger connection."

"Okay. So that effects my healing how?" Elena wondered. Stefan shrugged, and gave her a pitied look. He was just about to say something else, when Damon peeked his head in the door.

"How's she doing?" Damon asked, not noticing that Elena was awake.

"She's confused, but she'll probably live", Elena smirked. Damon's eyes nearly popped out of his head, but she guessed that since she'd been unconscious for eleven hours, it was understandable. She laughed out loud at his face, but grimaced when she felt the pain from her wound shoot through her stomach. Her hand flew to the stab as she tried to staunch the blood that had begun to flow yet again. Stefan gave her a concerned glance, and she shook her head in assurance.

"Elena! I didn't know you'd woken up—Stefan was supposed to call us up here once you did", Damon said sarcastically, the scent of her blood obviously not have reached him yet.

"Sorry, I was a little busy explaining what had happened. You know, _after _you stabbed her and Katherine", Stefan retorted.

Damon gave him a glare, and said, "So she knows about Harmony?"

This confused Elena even more, and she turned to look at Stefan. "What about Harmony?"

Stefan gave Damon a weird look that Elena couldn't quite understand. "I hadn't gotten to that, yet", Stefan growled through gritted teeth at Damon, then he turned to look at Elena, "Bonnie took care of her. She's down in the basement right now."

Elena's eyes widened in surprise, and her face immediately lit up. "Wait, we can ask her what this spell does!"

Damon gave her a bizarre look, and the worry lines that had been growing more pronounced on Elena's face grew in size. "Not really", he said, drawing it out into a long phrase.

"What do you mean 'not really'?" Elena asked.

Stefan frowned, and explained, "It was a really hard spell, Elena."

"Okay, and this is a really big stab wound, Stefan. But what does that have to do with anything?" Elena asked, her qualms growing and growing inside of her.

"Oh just spit it out, Stefan", Damon griped, then turned to speak to Elena, "Elena, she's in a coma."

* * *

So not much of a cliff hanger, but whatever :) Harmony's out for the count, which means Elena isn't getting any explanations any time soon. I'm not thrilled with this chapter, but I've been to preoccupied imagining how Elena is going to react in the show when she realizes that she's pretty much all alone-with the exception of Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy, and Damon-to even think about anything that's going to happen in my stories! But anyways, I hope _you guys _liked it, and if you did, remember that feed back is love! So read & review :) it'll make me update even faster!

-kiki :)

btw: only a few more weeks until the premiere! Oh, wait, wrong month on the calendar :( only a few more _months _until the premiere :'(


	16. Repercussions

Hey everybody! Please, don't kill me! I know I haven't updated in forever, but I'm sorry! I haven't been able to write anything at all. Don't you hate writer's block? :/ Anyways, this chapter starts a few days after Elena found out that Harmony was in a coma, but I hope its not too much of an annoyance that I jumped forward a bunch. And just to clear a few things up, Jenna is still alive (she's still pissed at Ric and Elena for lying, which is why she doesn't care that Elena's been missing for like a week.) and Damon was never bitten. Elijah never turned into a two-faced jackass, but he's just not in the story right now. Let's say he took a vacation to Disney World. Ok. That's all :) So here's my first update in over a month and a half! Enjoy :)

* * *

"Stefan, we're going to be late!" Elena yelled from the door to Stefan's room. It had been 3 days since Elena had woken up, and she was determined to get back into the groove of things again. Harmony was still in a coma, Katherine was still M.I.A., and Elena was still harboring a large gash in her abdomen—courtesy of Katherine Pierce and her stupid spell. It was healing slowly, much slower than it should have been with Stefan's blood in her system. He'd been giving her a bit more everyday to speed up the process, but it didn't seem to be doing anything useful.

Stefan opened the door to the bathroom, fully dressed and ready, and waltzed over to give Elena a kiss on the cheek and a reassuring hug. "I know, I know. Are you sure you're ready for this? I mean, we could always wait another day or so", he asked uncertainly, knowing that Elena was still in pain from her experience with Katherine…even if she wouldn't admit it herself. Whenever she stood up to go to the kitchen, he saw her secret winces that she didn't think he knew about. When she moved to quickly or had a nightmare, he heard her whimpers and groans of pains. But he wasn't about to call her out on it.

Elena smiled, and replied with some snarky comment about how he sounded like some old fish in _Finding Nemo_. She assured him that she was fine. She wasn't in pain anymore. She wasn't scared. But he knew the truth—her fear and pain was written clear as day in her eyes.

"Okay, well then let's head out", Stefan replied as he reached down to grab her school bag, fully intending on carrying her stuff for her.

"No, Stefan, I've got it", she assured him, but as she looped the bag over her shoulder, she felt a burst of pain jolt through her wound. She winced lightly, hoping Stefan hadn't seen her, but when she looked at his face, she knew he had. Smiling warmly, she tried to rub it off like nothing had happened. "See, I'm fine! I'll be able to make it through one day of school." And with that little white lie added to her pile of assurances, she walked out of the door with Stefan in tow, completely unaware of the occurrences the day had in store for the young doppelganger.

* * *

She was _still _in a coma. It had been over three days, and frankly Damon was sick and tired of waiting for the little witch bitch to wake up. Bonnie had tried to wake her up with some witchy ju-ju after giving Damon _another _judgy stare. What was it with witches and their judgy attitudes? Even Bree had given him her share of annoying comments.

But as much as the witches bugged the crap out of him, he needed this one to wake up. Harmony was the only one that knew what the hell was going on with Elena, and as much as he hated to admit it he needed her help.

Damon was ridden with guilt about Elena. Yet again, he'd left her in harm's way and she'd nearly paid the price with her life. If he would have just stayed with Stefan, they could've called Blondie and the witch and kept Elena safe _while _Bonnie figured out how to get her out of the house. But no. He decided to leave Elena with Katherine, and now he was stuck watching some witch sleep. 'I guess that Jacob kid was right. Life _does _suck, then you die.' Damon smirked to himself, thinking of the stupid mutt from the popular book series. What was it called again? _Dusk_? Oh, what does it matter. He was a stupid werewolf, end of story.

After hours of sitting and staring at the unconscious witch, he finally stood up and left the cell in the basement, making sure to lock the door on the way out. He walked up the stairs sluggishly and went straight to the cabinet with his personal stash of alcohol.

He grabbed a glass tumbler and filled it with scotch, then headed to sit down on the couch. But as soon as he was about to sit down, he felt pain shoot through his body, and his goblet fell to the ground and broke into a thousand pieces. Falling to his knees, he looked down and saw a stake shoved all the way through the right side of his torso.

With a painful growl, he reached up and wrenched the stake out of his lung. Damon took a few deep gasps of air and watched as the hole in his chest healed almost instantly. But before he had time to understand exactly what had happened, one thing came to mind. Someone was in the house. Which means…_the witch_.

He shot up off of his knees and was almost instantly down the stairs of the basement, looking at the door to the cell. Correction: the _wide open _door to the cell. The cell that had previously been holding a comatose witch. The cell that was now empty. "You've got to be _kidding _me."

* * *

"The red scare was brought about by the rise of communism over seas…" Alaric was rambling on as he described World War II. Elena knew she should have been paying attention, but she just couldn't manage to wrap her head around all of the information while there was a chance that Katherine would be able to take advantage of her.

Her stomach was home to a constant dull ache from the knife wound—not that she had told anyone. They were worried enough about her, they didn't need to know that she was still in pain. But she knew that Stefan was aware of her situation. She'd seen the worried looks he gave her every time she turned around, probably thinking she didn't know he was worried just as she had thought that he didn't notice the clandestine winces and bouts of pain.

"Communism was spreading throughout many countries in Asia in the…" How in the world could Ric manage to focus with all the crap that was going on? He'd been over to the house a bunch to check on her and make sure she was doing ok, and yet he looked like nothing was going on in his life.

Truthfully, Elena was exhausted. She hadn't really gotten a good night's sleep since she woke up at the boarding house. As her eyes started to droop shut, Elena rested her head on her hand, hoping that Ric would take pity and wouldn't call her out on account of sleeping in class. But just as she was being pulled into a slumber, she felt the familiar pressure in her head, and blacked out.

It was just like last time, except this time she was in a familiar setting. She saw the front door of the boarding house open silently by Katherine's hand, and watched as the vampire snuck around the corner into the parlor. Suddenly, Elena felt a weight in her hand, and watched with horror as Katherine sped to the unsuspecting Damon, staking him in the chest and speeding towards the basement.

If Elena had had been in control of her body, she would've gasped as she felt Katherine rip open the door to the cell. Elena realized what the little act was all about. Katherine wanted Harmony. She was going to take the only chance Elena had of finally getting away from Katherine for good.

Just as Katherine was about to grab hold of Harmony, Elena felt herself thrown back into her body. She opened her eyes with a gasp, and realized that the bell had just gone off in class. Of course, nobody had noticed her startled expression except for the people she had gone through hell and back with. Before she really had a chance to breathe, she was surrounded by her friends—Bonnie, Alaric, Caroline, and of course, Stefan.

"Elena, what happened? Are you okay?" Stefan asked frantically, supporting her as he realized she was about to fall out of her chair. He knew the scared expression on her face too well.

"Call… Damon…" Elena gasped, only to be met with blank stares.

"What? Why do I need to call—" Stefan began, but was cut off by Elena's demands.

"CALL. DAMON. NOW. Make sure he's okay and that Harmony is still in the house", Elena interrupted. Maybe it was just some weird dream. Maybe Damon was fine, and Harmony was still unconscious in the basement. Elena hoped, but she knew deep down that she wasn't wrong. Katherine had staked Damon and kidnapped Harmony. She was still gasping for air as she realized that her jolting awakening had opened her wound even further. The pain was excruciating

Stefan took his phone out of his bag and automatically typed in his brother's number. The phone rang three times before Damon finally picked up.

"Godammit!" Stefan heard Damon yelling on the other end of the phone.

"Damon, what's wrong?" Stefan asked.

"Some frigging vampire got in the house, _staked _me, and took the witch! Dammit!" Damon hollered into the cell phone as Stefan heard something break.

Stefan stared, wide-eyed, at Elena. She was obviously in pain, but had a look of recognition on her face as she discovered that she had been right. "Who was it?" Stefan asked his pissed off brother.

"Why the hell do you think I'd know that? They staked me from behind, you moron!" Damon griped at Stefan. Stefan turned towards his girlfriend, and asked the question that was on everybody's mind.

"Elena, was it…"

"Katherine", she breathed, "it was Katherine."

* * *

Ok, so Elena's still feeling the repercussions of Katherine's spell. Trust me, stunted healing and weird body switch things aren't the end of her troubles, though. I mean, come on. This is the Vampire Diaries. It's never just a few things that go wrong. They go more with Murphy's law: "Anything that can go wrong, will." haha :) but that's all for now! I hope it wasn't disappointing :) as always, please review :) it makes me want to write more, and sometimes you guys even give me ideas to bounce off of for the story :) Feedback is love, people! So read & review!

-kiki :)

ps: who else is _dying _from the hellatus? I am D: and all of this comic con stuff is giving me hope that they'll have a preview or something out, but I've been checking the website every 2 minutes, and there hasn't been any new stuff :( these withdrawal symptoms are KILLING ME! But, only 54 days until the premiere! and if that sounds sucky, then there's only a month and a half :) We've almost made it through 3, you guys! Stay strong! We can do this! uggggggg. I hate hiatuses! :'(


	17. Revealing

Everyone was fussing over her again. After her "vision" (that's what she'd started to call her body possessions with Katherine), she'd passed out, and of course that meant another week of bed rest and boredom at the boarding house while everyone else planned and plotted. She wanted to help, but she was too _fragile_ to think while she was still healing.

Okay, that may be a bit of an understatement.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Elena _did _need to take a break. Her wound hadn't even begun to heal after it had reopened thanks to Katherine's escapades. What sucked was that Harmony was gone, so there was no way to figure out what was wrong. Obviously it was because of the spell, but Stefan was worried what _other _side-effects the spell would have.

So Elena laid on the couch for hours. She didn't do anything. She didn't move at all. She just watched as Alaric, Damon, and Stefan paced around the room coming up with plans. Every time she tried to help she got a "Go to sleep" or a "Don't worry about it". But how the hell could she _not _worry about it? _She _was the one with the curse, not Stefan or Damon or Alaric. And yet she couldn't even brainstorm with them because it might "stress her out too much". What type of shitty excuse was that? She was already stressed, and not being able to do anything wasn't helping.

To add to her worry, every night she fell asleep to dreams of Katherine. Memories of her childhood and snapshots of her present whereabouts flashed through Elena's mind every night at lightning speeds, and yet the only scenes that really stuck out to her were those of Harmony. The glimpses Elena got of the witch were in very unpromising locations being interrogated by Katherine. If Katherine killed her, Elena would never find out how to lift the spell, and if Katherine figured it out, Elena was as good as dead.

However, there was _one _good thing that came out of the visions: Elena knew that Katherine hadn't healed from the stab wound yet, either. When Damon first found this information out, he had suggested they use the knowledge to their advantage. But then arose the question of how to use something that they didn't even understand. Suffice to say, Damon's suggestion was nixed quickly.

Having run out of ideas, the men had taken a break from plotting to have a drink. Of course, Elena couldn't have one because she was so weak, so she just sat. Staring out the window, she contemplated her life, asking herself, "When did my life get so screwed up?" just before she was pulled into another vision.

* * *

"You really screwed my plan up with your little hero attempt, Harmony. And if there's one thing I don't appreciate, it's people who mess up my plans", Katherine growled at the poor witch. Harmony was tied up and chained to a chair in the corner of a dark room. Elena could tell that the vampire had since gotten a new house that the dynamic Salvatore duo had yet to discover, and the unfinished wine cellar made for a great drink—and a great torture chamber.

"So I'll ask you once again," Katherine whispered as she grabbed Harmony's arm in an iron grasp, "What. Did. You. DO."

Giving the witch's arm a good twist and hearing the bone break into pieces, Harmony's screams brought a smirk to Katherine's face. Harmony looked like she'd been to hell and back—and, Elena realized, she probably had. Katherine had been torturing her since she'd kidnapped her from the boarding house, attempting to get the answers to her questions.

Harmony gasped for breath as she glared at the 500 year old vampire in front of her before she replied with a terse, "I will _never _tell you."

Katherine growled at the witch and wrenched her up to the wall by her neck. Glowering into her eyes, she compelled, "You _will _tell me what you did. NOW."

"You seem to forget that a witch can't be compelled, Katherine", Harmony smirked.

Katherine's eyes narrowed and as she pondered over her options, Elena could sense Katherine's choice before she enacted it. Sure enough, Katherine's head cocked to the side as she stared the witch in the eyes.

"Well that's too bad, Harmony. If you can't give me the information I need, then I guess there's no reason to keep you alive."

Katherine's hand shot into Harmony's chest, and her hand wrapped its way around Harmony's heart. Harmony's eyes met Katherine's, yet Elena felt as if the witch was peering into Katherine's soul to find anything good in the vampire before she died.

But while Elena was watching the life fade from Harmony's eyes, it suddenly hit her. Harmony wasn't looking at Katherine. She was looking at _Elena_. Then, she heard the witch's voice in her head.

"Only you can break the curse. Take away the one thing she can't live without, and you can kill her. But remember, only _you _can free yourself from her."

With that last piece of advice, Harmony succumbed to death and Elena was pulled back to her body.

* * *

She awoke with a small gasp that paled in comparison to her last vision awakening. However, the guys still noticed from their perch across the room.

"Good morning, Elena. How nice of you to join the day of the living—well, sort of living", Damon chirped, but Elena took no notice. Stefan saw her confusion, and immediately came over to her with questions.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, "Was it another vision?"

Elena had yet to find her voice, so she simply nodded.

"What happened? What did you see?" Stefan asked her.

"It…it was Katherine and Harmony. Katherine was torturing her for information about the curse, but Harmony wouldn't tell her so she… she killed her", Elena replied, trying to comprehend what she had just experienced. She had tuned out temporarily, so she was surprised to realize that her comment had sent Stefan, Damon, and Alaric into a frenzy.

"WHAT? How are we supposed to break the curse now that the witch is dead?" Damon yelled as Ric began to pace the room again.

Stefan turned to shout at his brother. "Would you shut up for a second?" Turning his attention back on Elena, he asked cautiously, "Did you see anything else? Anything that could help us figure out how to break Harmony's spell?"

Elena met Stefan's eyes and her face lit up as she finally understood what Harmony had said. "Yeah. Yeah, I did. I know how to kill Katherine."

* * *

Please don't kill me! I beg of you, have mercy on my soul! I'm _so _sorry I haven't updated in approximately 5 months! I meant to, but life got super hectic as soon as school started. I had 3 AP classes and band almost every single night of the week, so it was nearly impossible to find time to write. And even when I did, I had no clue what to write because I had/have a horrible case of writer's block. Please forgive me :( I know I'm a horrible person, but if you still love me (or my story), leave a comment. Because I've been feeling pretty down about my stories, and even debated deleting them a few times. I don't think I will now, but I'd still love to hear you guys' opinions about the chapter :) So leave me a nice comment, or heck, leave me some hate mail about how bad I am for not updating. I deserve it! But just try not to litter up the comment wall about what a jerk I am for making you wait... For those of you that have stuck with me thus far, you're AMAZING! And it's because of you that I didn't delete my story :)

-kiki :)

ps: 12 days until the premiere :D anybody excited? [anybody even reading this anymore? I really hope so...]


	18. What just happened?

Hey everybody! Thank you so much for the encouraging reviews, even after I was a jerk and didn't upload for a really long time. I appreciate them sooo much! Anyways, If you read my other story you know that I'm going to try to update every other story every week, so then I only have to find time to write one chapter per week and I might not wimp out like I did last time :} Anyways, here's the next chapter. It's not one of my favorites, but it's longer than normal and I hope you guys like it!

* * *

Elena sat under the scrutiny of 3 pairs of eyes for what felt like an eternity until Stefan spoke. "You know how to kill Katherine?"

Smiling breathlessly, she nodded and replied, "Yeah. I have to take away the one thing she can't live without."

"And that is…?" Ric asked skeptically.

"I don't know," Elena answered truthfully, "but once I figure it out, I can kill her."

"I bet I know what it is. I'll give you a hint: it starts with 'Stef' and ends with 'An'. So how are you planning to get rid of your boyfriend?" Damon asked sarcastically. The vampire in question glared at his brother, and Ric rolled his eyes in Damon's direction. Elena ignored his latest jab, and gently pulled herself into a sitting position on the couch.

"She loves Stefan, but I don't think that's it. She's been on her own for almost 500 years, so obviously she can live without him," Elena countered as she thought hard about what Katherine valued the most.

What was the one thing Katherine couldn't live without? She had been on her own for over 500 years, and hadn't truly bonded with anyone except Stefan. As far as Elena knew, there was nothing she truly valued that, if lost or stolen, she wouldn't be able to function without. Katherine didn't seem like one to cherish material possessions. Now, as Elena sat pondering this new dilemma, she wished she had taken advantage of the "fun" Katherine had offered earlier so that she could have learned more about her doppelganger.

"How are we supposed to figure out what she can't live without? It's not like we can just walk up to her and ask", Ric said to no one in particular.

Elena broke out of her thoughts with a slight epiphany. "My visions," she whispered, "My visions show parts of her life that she specifically remembers. There's got to be some significance behind them, since they're the only memories that I can see. Maybe I can get the answer out of one of them!"

"That's great, Elena. But you can't control which visions you see, so what are the chances that you're going to be able harness them to get answers?" Stefan questioned her. He wanted Katherine dead and Elena safe more than anyone, but he just couldn't see her plan working.

Elena looked up at him with pained eyes. "I don't know, Stefan. But right now it's all we've got."

* * *

Katherine wrenched her arm back, and with it came Harmony's un-beating heart. The witch's body slumped in her chair, and Katherine almost felt sorry for killing her.

_Almost._

Katherine Pierce wasn't one for feelings. She didn't feel sorrow for anything. She disregarded happiness as a fleeting emotion. She _did _feel anger, but that was more of a revenge ploy than an actual emotion. But not being able to feel darker emotions meant that it was nearly impossible for her to feel others like love, happiness, etc.

She had locked her emotions away hundreds of years ago, knowing that they would spell her doom in her hide and seek game with Klaus. But sometimes she wished that she could be Katerina Petrova again. So naïve and weak, yet with emotions powerful enough to destroy her world.

Yet, while Katerina had mastered her naivety at a young age, her wisdom showed through at a few moments in time. One: when she decided to kill herself instead of being murdered by Klaus, and two: when she had said to Elijah, "If we cease to believe in love, why would we want to live?" The young version of herself had been so right, yet she'd had no clue what she was talking about.

Now she did. Stefan had shown her the light—figuratively, of course—and now she wanted it. After 5 centuries, Katherine was tired of running. She wanted a home with Stefan, a place where she didn't have to worry about ancient vampires coming to kill her or people stabbing her in the back for her past wrongs. But she couldn't live like that; she'd pissed off too many people.

Katherine waltzed up the stairs to the first level of the new foreclosure she was living in and found the bathroom. Quickly turning on the sink to wash the witch's blood from her perfectly manicured hands, she looked into the mirror. Her reflection was one that she wouldn't have even recognized as Katerina. Sure, the twenty-first century attire didn't help, but her eyes told a story of death, destruction, and heartbreak.

But that wasn't the only thing she saw. Upon closer examination, she saw her figure shifting in the mirror. "What the hell…?" she wondered, but then gasped as she met eyes with Elena.

Her doppelganger's eyes widened and Katherine watched as her mouth opened to scream. But instead of simply seeing the carbon-copy of herself squeal in surprise, an extremely obnoxious, high-pitched screech echoed through the tiny room. The loud noise pounded into her head so hard that it felt like she was getting run over by a freight-train. Katherine grappled to hold onto the sink as she fell to the floor in pain. Scratching at her ears to make the horrible sound stop, she could feel the blood pounding through her head as the noise escalated to unimaginable levels.

However, as soon as it came, it stopped, and Katherine was left—chest heaving and head pounding—huddled in the corner of the bathroom. Slowly gaining what little composure she had left, she hitched her arm onto the sink and pulled herself back up to glance into the mirror. Sure enough, Stefan was holding Elena as she peered into the mirror with a wary look on her face—and Katherine knew that she had just experienced the same horrible noise.

While Katherine was generally the polar opposite of her dull-as-dishwater-doppelganger, she also knew that she was wearing the exact same expression. She also knew that Elena was thinking the exact same thought that was racing through Katherine's head.

What just happened?

* * *

Stefan watched as Elena walked slowly out of the room towards his bedroom. Ric and Damon were debating over the new information and drinking—as always—but Stefan focused on listening as Elena got ready, making sure that nothing went wrong and that she was okay.

When he decided that she was finally capable of functioning without collapsing in pain, he returned his attention to the conversation at hand. The three men worked through what Elena had told them, and were trying to figure out what it all meant. However, as soon as Stefan entered the conversation, a scream ripped through the house—a scream coming from Elena.

All three jumped up from the couch, and Stefan and Damon were almost immediately in the bedroom with Ric following close behind. Stefan ran over to Elena, who was screaming and clutching her head in pain on the ground, and held her while he tried to calm her down.

Damon and Ric watched helplessly as Elena wailed, until she suddenly stopped and started breathing erratically. She tilted her head up towards Stefan as tears ran down her face, then her eyes grew to twice their normal size. Scrambling to get up to the mirror, she gazed into the crystal and was amazed to find Katherine still looking back at her in a similar situation to her own.

A look of disbelief and confusion was seared onto her doppelganger's face, and Elena could tell that she looked the same. Stefan, Damon, and Ric were trying to get through to her, but thoughts were rushing through her head at light-speed and she didn't even notice. She slowly settled back into Stefan's arms, and gasped out, "Katherine."

"What the hell just happened?" Damon practically yelled to the couple. Elena took a breath and tried to steady herself to answer.

"I don't know. One minute I was looking at myself in the mirror, and then it's Katherine and we both hear this super loud screaming noise."

Damon smiled and replied sarcastically, "Well _that _explains everything!_"_

Damon continued to gripe about Harmony and her spell, while Ric stood shocked and Stefan tried to comfort Elena. After a few minutes, Elena began to feel better. Then it hit her—she felt better. Which meant… She frantically sat up and ripped her shirt away from her abdomen, looking for the tell-tale sign of the past effects of the spell. Looking down at herself, she sat flabbergasted.

Her stab-wound was gone.

* * *

Dun Dun DUUUN! Okay, so there it is. Chapter 18. We still have a while to go, and frankly I haven't decided where the story is going or how it's going to end :) I promise to keep up with it this time, but if you have any suggestions, leave a comment and tell me! Feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

ps: Who saw this week's episode? OHMYGOD STEFAN AND ELENA. I cried for approximately 2 hours. I've seriously been waiting for almost 3 seasons for her to really deal with her feelings towards her parents, and she finally did! But their talk? I mean, _come on! _To take a page from memebase, Y U BE SUCH A JERK, STEFAN? I'm pretty sure I have that entire bridge scene memorized I've watched it so much. I mean, the rest of the episode was good, but I knew that scene was coming and couldn't really focus on anything else. Of course, Caroline and Tyler broke my heart (not as much as Stefan and Elena, but hey), and I'm pretty sure my neighbors wanted to arrest me for how loud I was screaming at the tv when Klaus came and was all nice to Caroline. I HATE KLAUS SO MUCH. I'm glad he saved Caroline, because she's awesome. But everytime he's like "Oh, I miss my family" and "Oh, I'm so alone" I go "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" (Channeling Gone with the Wind, I am!). I. Hate. Klaus. End of story. But okay, enough ranting. How did YOU feel about the episode?


	19. New Powers, New Problems

Hey everybody! I don't really have much to say this week, except to thank you all for the great reviews! This chapter isn't as long as normal, but it's still a good size chapter-and a lot of stuff still happens! Anyways, here we go! Chapter 19 :)

* * *

"Stefan."

"Katherine."

Less than 3 hours had passed since the latest incident, and there Katherine was standing on Stefan's front porch glaring. Instead of waiting for Stefan to invite her in, she pushed past him and walked into the front hallway. Glancing quickly around the room, the female vampire searched out her doppelganger.

"Looking for me?" Katherine spun around to find Elena standing less than a foot behind her. Elena had snuck up on her?

"How the hell did you…" Katherine gasped, wide eyed. Elena may have been related to her, but she was still a human—which meant that she couldn't have super-speed. Elena grinned, looking into Katherine's eyes. What the ancient vampire saw in Elena's eyes, though, was disturbing. Unlike her usual [annoying] judgey, overprotective eyes, all Katherine could see was cold. It was like Elena was….her. The cold, heartless eyes that were in Elena's head right now were _Katherine's _eyes, and it was unnerving—and Katherine didn't get unnerved.

"I've been able to do a lot of cool things since I saw you last," Elena replied and, in the blink of an eye, she was standing behind Katherine. Katherine spun on her heels, beginning to get annoyed by this new trick. With a lift of her eyebrows, Elena continued, "Pretty cool, isn't it?"

Katherine turned to look at Stefan, and realized that he was just as confused as she was. Katherine began to walk towards Stefan to ask what was going on, but Elena was suddenly in front of her again glaring, surprising the 500 year old vampire.

"Don't even think about—" Elena threatened, glaring at Katherine.

Katherine jumped back and growled, and wrapped her hand around Elena's throat. Elena's eyes practically jumped out of their sockets, and she began gasping for breath as Katherine cut off her air supply. Just as Stefan was about to leap into action, Katherine started doing the same thing as she found that she couldn't breathe.

Finally giving up, Katherine released Elena's throat and both doppelgangers fell to the floor coughing. Stefan rushed over to Elena's side as she tried to catch her breath. Elena turned her wary face up and looked at Katherine and Stefan. "What just happened?"

* * *

"I really don't remember anything," Elena assured her boyfriend and Damon, who had entered the conversation around the time he heard Katherine and Elena gasping downstairs. The last thing Elena remembered was the mirror incident, and then her mind was blank. "What did I do?"

Stefan glanced at Katherine, who was off pouting in the corner because her spell was screwed up, and responded. "At first you were fine. But as the time went on, you started acting weird."

Elena's brows scrunched together as she tried to comprehend. "Weird? Weird how?"

"Well…. Katherine-weird," Stefan answered, receiving a glower from Katherine. Elena began to nod when Damon broke in.

"Oh, and you got vampire super speed. No big deal," Damon said sarcastically.

Elena's eyes bugged out for the second time that day. "W…What? H-how is that p-possible?" Elena sputtered

"We don't really know, Elena—" Stefan began, only to have Damon finish his sentence.

"Because Princess Katherine won't tell us what her spell is supposed to do," Damon griped. Katherine turned to glare at him.

"If I knew how to fix this, don't you think I would have?" Katherine growled through her teeth, "It's not like I signed up to be attached to her for the rest of eternity."

Elena's head flew to the side as a look of pure anger crossed over her face—a look that made both Damon and Stefan do a double take. Before anybody could stop her, Elena was across the room slamming Katherine into the wall. "Didn't sign up for? _You _made Harmony do the spell. _You _are the one that screwed her over. So if there's anybody to blame, it's your own damn self!"

Katherine stared straight into Elena's eyes with shock as the room became deathly quiet. Slowly, all three vampires could sense the anger drain out of Elena. She quickly dropped Katherine as if an electric current had run through her, and within seconds she was out of the room and upstairs.

Katherine was the first to talk. "I…I think I'd better go, um, figure out what's going on…". She was out the door nearly as quick as Elena, and the brothers looked at each other, knowing that the other had seen the hint of Elena's humanity inside of Katherine before she had left.

* * *

A few minutes after Katherine's departure, Stefan made his way to his room to check on Elena. Sure enough, she was sitting on the bed with tears silently rolling down her face. Slowly sitting next to her and pulling her into his arms, he laid his cheek on her head as he comforted her.

"I don't understand what's happening to me," Elena whispered hopelessly. The anger and fury that had rushed through her body just minutes before scared her. But what scared her more than anything was that she didn't regret doing it. "How did I over-power Katherine? I'm just a human and she's a 500 year old vampire! I just…I don't get it."

Stefan simply nodded, knowing that she had to talk this out. He had become her journal in a way; she told him everything about what she was thinking, feeling. "I've never felt that much fury, Stefan. It was like I was seeing red. And how could I act like her? Like the person I hate most?" She sighed, and continued, "I feel like I'm losing a part of myself—like I'm morphing into Katherine. And…and I'm scared, Stefan," Elena sobbed into his arms.

"I know, Elena, I know. We're going to figure this out, okay? Remember what you said to me? It's you and me, Elena. We'll survive. We _always _survive."

* * *

So who caught that episode reference? Or should I say two episodes! Anyways, I hope you liked it. Drop me a review if you want :) the more feedback I get, the more I want to write and the more ideas I get! Exhibit A: I totally revamped my other story and am taking it in a totally different direction because of some of the review I got :0 and...okay, I only have one exhibit. But you get the point! Feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

ps: Only 3 days until all hell breaks loose! And only 9 days until formal balls in Mystical falls (haha, that rhymed!) Who's pumped?


	20. Downward Spiral

Hey everybody! So I know I was supposed to update on Sunday/Monday, but I have three reasons why I didn't. 1) I couldn't think of anything at all to write. It only came to me this afternoon! 2) Fan fiction was down at my house pretty much since last Friday, and didn't really get fixed until yesterday. and 3) as soon as I knew what I wanted to write, I had no time to do it! :P High school sucks. But anyways, Here's chapter 20, and I'm hoping to get another chapter up this weekend to make up for not having one until Wednesday :}

* * *

"How's she doing?" Ric questioned as Stefan trekked down the stairs, taking one step at a time to gather his thoughts.

"She's scared. She doesn't understand what's going—and frankly, neither do I," Stefan replied, and Damon and Ric could see the stress wearing down on his features. Quickly grabbing a glass of scotch from the sofa table, Stefan pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed a number.

"Who are you calling?" Damon asked, but Stefan simply wagged his finger at him before talking.

"Bonnie? Hey, are you doing anything right now?" Stefan questioned, and after a short pause where Damon assumed Bonnie was responding, he continued. "Okay, do you think you could get over here soon? We need your help. It's Elena."

Damon heard a mumble from the phone, and Stefan quickly hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.

"Hey, as much as I'd love to stay here, steal your scotch, and listen to Damon and Bonnie argue, I've got to get going," Ric stated, then sighed, "Jenna and I scheduled a 'talk' to get everything out in the open, and I don't want to screw it up…again."

"Good luck with that one, Ric. Same time tomorrow?" Damon smirked.

"Whatever," Ric replied as he rolled his eyes, "Bye. Tell Elena that I said bye—and that I know she'll get through this. She's stronger than anyone I've ever met."

"Sure thing, Ric. See you later," Stefan agreed with a friendly smile. As Ric walked out the door, Stefan's mind automatically fell into its normal 'She's strong enough' ideal. But the longer he thought about it, he wasn't so sure. Elena had been strong for so long—when was it finally going to be too much?

* * *

"I've told you before. I can't break the spell unless I know the spell. And I can't know the spell without the grimoire," Bonnie emphasized as she stared at the two brothers.

"Well find it, then! There's got to be some spell that locates dead-witch cook books," Damon growled, but received a glare from Bonnie.

"You think I don't want to? Trust me the _last _thing I want is for my best friend to turn into Katherine."

Suddenly, the trio heard the front door slam shut, and Katherine was standing directly in front of them holding something behind her back.

"I'm insulted, Judgey," Katherine narrowed her eyes, "And to think—I came here to give you what you needed. Guess I'll just be headed out, then."

"Katherine, wait!" Stefan yelled after her as he jumped off of the couch, "What are you talking about?"

Katherine grinned. "I heard you needed Harmony's grimoire. I found it in her hiding spot from after she betrayed me, and figured I couldn't do anything with it unless I had a witch. And look what I have, now—a witch!"

"I'm not helping you, Katherine. Not after everything you've done to us," Bonnie griped. Katherine's eyes narrowed even more, and in the blink of an eye her face was 6 inches from Bonnie's.

"Well isn't it a good thing that this spell's screwing over your best friend, too?" Katherine growled as she reached into her pocket, revealing a small knife. Holding it over her jugular artery, her eyebrows rose—challenging the young witch. "Now, you'll help me if you want your little Elena to live."

Bonnie seemed to weigh her options for a moment—debating between giving her an aneurism or not, then realizing it would hurt Elena, too—and finally agreed. "Fine. But I do this our way. You don't make demands, you don't make threats, and you sure as hell don't try to kill Elena again. Plus, from what Stefan and Damon have told me, she could kick your ass anyways," Bonnie responded, grinning as she outsmarted the vampire.

Katherine shot the witch a spine-tingling glare, but nodded her head in agreement. "Okay. Let's get started. I'd like to be disconnected from your girlfriend as quickly as possible," Katherine directed at Stefan.

"Give me the book," Bonnie demanded. She slowly flipped the front cover open, and began to mumble a spell when she stopped abruptly. "Wait. Before I do this, promise me that Elena doesn't find out until we figure out exactly what's going on. I don't want her anymore upset than she already is."

The three vampires deliberated, and bobbed their heads up and down to signal Bonnie to continue. Looking back down at the grimoire, she continued chanting and the room's residents watched in amazement as the pages turned themselves to the correct spell. Scanning the page rapidly, Bonnie's breaths grew shallower and shallower. After agonizing minutes of reading, Bonnie looked up to the faces of Stefan, Damon, and Katherine, her eyes glistening with tears and shock.

Stefan's eyes were huge with worry, and he finally gained up the courage to question Bonnie. "What is it, Bonnie?"

"The spell…didn't you say Elena has been acting more like Katherine since the spell?" Bonnie asked, and when Stefan nodded his head, she continued. "Harmony's spell does more than connect Elena and Katherine together."

"Clearly," Katherine griped quietly, before letting Bonnie continue.

"What do you mean? What aren't you telling us?" Stefan asked.

"It's a merging spell, Stefan," Bonnie whispered, "Which means that once the spell has run its course, Katherine and Elena will become one person—both personalities in one body. That's why Elena's been seeing Katherine's memories, and why every time one of them gets hurt the other one is affected. And that's why Elena suddenly has vampire skills—the spell is preparing them to become one person."

The group sat in silence for what seemed like hours before Damon finally spoke up. "How can we fix it? There's always a loophole."

"We could always kill her," Bonnie replied, tilting her head towards Katherine, "but that would kill Elena, too. As far as I can tell, there's no way to break the spell. In a few days, weeks, whatever, Katherine and Elena are only going to be one person."

"What?"

With the exception of Katherine who was sitting in shock on the couch, everyone's head flew around to see Elena standing at the doorframe. She had apparently woken up and gotten dressed without anyone hearing her. And now, she was shaking with tears threatening to run down her face again.

"No…no, no, no, no!" Elena whispered, shaking her head as she tried to back out of the room, "I can't be… Katherine. I can't even stand you!"

Both of the Salvatore brothers stood up, but for once Damon beat Stefan to the punch.

"Elena, it's going to be okay. We're going to get you out of this, okay?"

Elena's eyes widened, when her eyes flashed a hint of anger as she forcibly pushed Damon. "Get away from me." The frightened and angry girl flashed over to the table and grabbed the first set of keys she touched. Walking towards the door, Damon grabbed her hand and spun her around to face him. Stefan and Bonnie had quickly made their way to the doorway to watch the encounter, but Katherine was still in shock.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Out. And don't follow me."

"You're scared, Elena. What if you hurt someone? You can't leave!" Damon stated, flabbergasted at her.

Elena quirked her head and Damon could sense as Katherine's personality began to take even more control of her. Before he even blinked, he was being held up by his throat against a wall. "Really? According to Harmony's little cook book, I now have the strength of a 500 year old vampire. So I'm pretty sure I could kick your ass any time, any place."

Elena let her hold on Damon go as she slammed the door open and waltzed out. The three of them looked at each other in shock and worry as they realized just how far along the spell was.

Damon finally spoke, "Well this is great. She's pissed, she's Katherine, and she took my car. What else can go wrong?"

* * *

Okay, so what did you think? As you can tell, Elena's quickly spiraling into the world of Katherine-which probably isn't good! Anyways, like I said I'm hoping to get the next chapter up this weekend. I already have the next two chapters for "Power of the Sacrifice" written, so I don't have to write that-which means I might be able to write for this story instead! Plus, it's a three day weekend :) Yay! I'm going to try to get way ahead so that I can get everything out on time from here on out. But whatever! I really want to hear what you guys thought about this chapter, so remember: feedback is love, people! So read and review!

-kiki :)

ps: Last week's episode was epic! Stefan and Elena's scenes were adorable :) But when Elena and Damon were talking at the end of the night, even MY heart broke. "I'm mad because I love you!" "Well maybe that's the problem." I literally fell down on my bed and was like "She did _not _just say that. How could she say that? Oh my god. She did _not _just say that!" But who is freaking pumped for this week's episode? As you know, I love when Elena's in danger (I'm sick, I know.)! and it looks like she's in a LOT of danger tomorrow! AAAHH! Only one day! :D


	21. Fight

Hey guys :) I know, I know. I'm late. And I'm sorry! It seems like my other story is begging to be written, and this one is running away from anything related to my computer! In other words, I have writer's block for this story (again). This chapter is longer than normal, so hopefully that'll make up for me being late :} Anyways, I hope I can manage to keep you on your toes, and here we go!

* * *

"Okay. You two stay here and try to figure out how to reverse the spell, I'll go find Elena and calm her down," Stefan told Damon and Bonnie as he grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

"What makes you think she's going to listen to you? It doesn't look like she feels like agreeing with anybody at the moment," Damon griped.

Stefan looked back at his brother and replied, "I don't. But I probably have the best chance of anybody to get her to come home." With that, he marched out of the house without a look back—leaving Damon and Bonnie to reverse the spell, and Katherine to remain comatose in the corner.

"So, Judgey, where do we start?" Damon asked while Bonnie walked back to the couch to grab the grimoire.

"We read."

"That's all? We read some stupid spell-book until we find a remedy? Elena might be _dying _and that's the best you can come up with?" Damon barked at Bonnie.

Bonnie didn't even grace Damon with a glance as she whispered harshly to him, "You think I don't know that this is important, Damon? She's my best friend—my sister. I can promise you I'm a hell of a lot more scared than you are. But the only way I can fix this is if I read how to do it in this 'stupid spell-book'. So if you don't want to help, I understand. But do _not _get in my way."

Stefan had driven to almost every bar within a thirty-mile-radius of Mystic Falls, and he still hadn't found Elena. He'd been driving for hours by the time he reached a small, run-down dive bar 20 minutes outside of Grove Hill. He highly doubted that Elena would pick a place as nasty as this, but when he saw Damon's Camaro outside, he knew she was inside.

After quickly parking his car, he stormed into the bar, and glanced around the bar—spotting her flirting with the bartender on the opposite side of the room. He walked up behind her and slid into the seat next to her.

"You found me," she chuckled, and Stefan could already tell that it wasn't just the alcohol weighing on her—Katherine was, too. "I can't say I was very impressed with your timing. Joseph here has already given me enough alcohol to knock an alcoholic out—and that includes Damon and Ric."

Stefan cast his worried eyes at her face, and wished just for a moment that Elena's eyes were drunk and _scared_ instead of drunk and cocky. "Yeah, well you didn't make it easy. Why did you come this far out of town? And why'd you pick this dump?"

"I wanted some privacy—no worried friends or classmates wondering why I was angry. Plus, they won't serve me at the grill—I'm underage," Elena explained, then looked back to the bartender, "and Joseph has been _very _kind to me tonight."

Elena crooked her finger at Joseph, and he waddled over to see her. To Stefan's astonishment, Elena looked deep into his eyes, and began to speak. "Joseph, why don't you bring me and my friend here some shots?"

Joseph nodded and turned, grabbing a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses. Tipping the alcohol into the cups, he said, "Okay, that'll be—"

"On the house," Elena stated as she continued to stare into his eyes. Then it hit Stefan—she was compelling him. Elena, the girl that believed in free-will and independence, the _human_, was compelling the bartender to give her free alcohol. Stefan grabbed Elena's arm and spun her to face him, disbelief evident on his face.

"What the hell are you doing, Elena?"

The drunken girl giggled and shot him a thousand-watt smile, "I got a new trick. Thanks to a certain Katherine Pierce, I can do whatever the hell I want to do now. Remind me to thank her when I get home."

Stefan stared at her for a long moment, but finally came to his senses. "You can tell her yourself, Elena, because we're going home. _Now._" Stefan pulled her out of the chair and began walking her towards the door—thankful that the alcohol had dulled her strength since, apparently, she could punch him into the ground if she wished.

"What the heck, Stefan? Let me go!" Elena whined, and she began to struggle against his iron grip. By the time they were out the door, Elena was fighting with all she had, but Stefan wasn't having any of it. His anger and frustration towards the curse on Elena that had been simmering for days finally boiled over as he shoved her into the wall of the building. Elena's eyes widened—not in pain, but surprise—and her complaints and struggles ceased.

"_Elena! _This isn't you!" Stefan yelled at her. Realizing what needed to be done to get Elena back, Stefan lowered his voice, and repeated, "This isn't you, Elena. When you're upset, you don't go get drunk—that's what Ric does, and what Damon does. And you sure as hell wouldn't compel some helpless man to give you drinks for free! You? You fight. You don't give up—_that _is what Elena does, what _you _do."

Elena turned her head away from Stefan. "It doesn't matter who I am, Stefan. In a few days, Katherine and I aren't going to exist—and this is what I'll be like. Besides, let's face it. I might as well be Katherine now! I take advantage of people to get what I want, and I've been using you and Damon for months—just so that I can figure out where I go from here," Elena whispered, and Stefan's hands slowly released her as he realized the truth. He'd always thought Elena was confident, but he hadn't even imagined the effect that Katherine's arrival would do to her. She'd begun to question everything that she was, everything she did—all because she thought she was Katherine.

Stefan reached up and pulled Elena's reluctant face towards him. "You are _not _Katherine," he said, "and no matter what happens, you never will be. You're strong, brave, loving—everything that Katherine's not. And you're not using me and Damon," Stefan paused at his brother's name, and could see the tears glistening in Elena's eyes.

"Damon's your friend—he wants to help you through everything. And I love you, Elena. _That_ is why I'm here for you—not because I feel bad for you or because you've taken advantage of me, because you haven't. And _that_ is why I need you to fight, Elena. Fight, because I can't live without you. Fight because you can, because that's who you are. You are the strongest woman I have ever met. You would give up your life to save your family—and that's something that Katherine would never do. Katherine is a runner—but you're a fighter. You can do this, Elena. I believe in you."

As the tears began to streak down her face in earnest, Stefan leaned in and kissed Elena with all the passion that the past few days had inflamed. Their lips moved in sync, and Stefan could sense Elena's return from the depths—_his _Elena. He had always known that he loved her unconditionally, but he had never truly realized how much. But now that he could lose her, he knew how much he needed her—and how much he was willing to do to keep her alive.

Elena would live, even if it killed him.

* * *

And drunken Elena makes her appearance! Guys, I know that I said I had writer's block (and I do!), but the truth is, I know exactly what I want to happen at the beginning, the middle, and the end of each chapter, I just don't know what to write to transition each part. My point is, it's just annoying! Anyways, feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

Okay, I'm not quite done yet. Since there's no new episode, I thought I'd shoot you guys an idea for my next FanFiction. I promise I won't start it until BOTH of my current stories are done (because I can barely handle these!), but here it goes:

"After an extremely traumatizing experience in Mystic Falls, Elena runs away. She establishes herself in the New York City publication industry as the president of a prestigious book publishing company and tries to forget everything that happened in Mystic Falls before she left—including her best friends and personal love triangle, the only people she had left. While the job is as close as she gets to her real dream of being a writer, she's secretly miserable. One day out of the blue, one of the Salvatore brothers shows up and tells her to come back to Mystic Falls because the reason she left is back and threatening the town. After _extreme _hesitation, she leaves her New York life and returns with him to face the back-lash of her exit years before. As she tries to save the town and people she once loved, she also has to work through the pain, anger, and sorrow she buried years before when she left Mystic Falls for a better life."

It's still an idea-in-progress, by the way :) but I know a lot of people have done ideas like this, so I'm going to try to stay away from their ideas. But anyways, any opinions? Comments, suggestions, critiques? They're all appreciated!


	22. Strength

"We're back!" Stefan yelled as he and Elena walked through the front door hand-in-hand. After Stefan convinced Elena to return home, the ride back was quiet—but Elena was ready to find out how to save herself, and Katherine if she needed to.

Both Damon and Bonnie looked up to see the couple walk in the door. Elena wore a solemn smile, and Stefan shot Damon a knowing glance as their eyes met.

"Where's Katherine?" Elena asked, a sharp edge lacing her voice. Damon met her eyes, and saw that she was back to normal—well, as normal as she could be, considering the circumstances.

"She left a little while after you. Where's my car?" Damon asked, hoping that she hadn't wrecked it in her emotional state.

"It's fine, Damon. I'm not that bad of a driver, you know," Elena grinned, suddenly feeling lighthearted after all that had happened.

"That's great, but I only heard one car pull up."

"It's still at the bar," Stefan replied, and when Damon looked like he was about to have a heart attack, Elena finished.

"Hey, I said it was fine. I never said it was here," Elena laughed. "So, what have you guys figured out?"

"Not much. But from what we have found out, you're going to seriously need a psychologist if the merge is completed," Damon stated. He was going to continue, but wasn't sure if Elena would be able to take it.

"Can you translate that out of Damon-language, please?" Elena asked, and Damon looked up at Stefan to see if it was safe. After a small nod, he was prepared to continue, but Bonnie cut in.

"We found some information about the spell in some of Harmony's books Katherine was keeping in her car. Supposedly, when the merge is completed, the minds of the two people involved drive each other insane—sometimes...sometimes to the point of their deaths."

Elena took a deep breath as she ran her hands through her hair. "Well that's not good… Doe s it say how long the spell takes to complete? And is there any way to stop it?" Elena asked, but she could tell by the look on Bonnie's face that the future wasn't bright.

"The only way to stop the curse is to kill one side of the spell. But…" Bonnie started.

"But killing Katherine will kill me, too," Elena completed, but continued as she suddenly realized something. "Unless… unless we find the one thing she can't live without! Harmony said that if we took it away, she'd die—and it sounded like she meant that _only _Katherine would die—not both of us!"

"We went over this before, Elena. Katherine doesn't care about anything," Damon restated.

"Well right now, that's all we've got to go on, Damon. So I guess we have to go over it again," Elena argued, "If we can figure it out, we can kill Katherine and all of this will be over!"

The group eyed her skeptically, when Stefan spoke up. "True, but how are we supposed to do that, Elena? We can't just ask her. And there's no one that knows her well enough to be able to tell us."

"Lucy…" Bonnie whispered, "Lucy knows her. She's been friends with Katherine for years—well, not anymore. But Lucy hates her now, so I'm sure she'd be willing to help."

"That's great," Elena smiled, but it morphed into a frown, "but we don't even know where she is."

"Actually, I do," Bonnie stated. When she was met with confused stares from the group, she continued, "I've been talking to her every now-and-then for the past few months. She's been helping me with my magic."

"Okay, so where is she?" Damon pushed.

"She works at a bar outside of Atlanta—she used to know the witch that owned it until she…" Bonnie started, but paused when she saw the goofy grins lighting up both Elena and Damon's face. "What's going on?"

Elena's smile widened as she said the words everyone had been waiting for.

"Road trip."

* * *

Stefan watched as Elena, Damon, and Bonnie packed Damon's car, which Damon and Ric had run back to retrieve in Grove Hill. Elena looked over her shoulder, and upon meeting eyes with her love she walked over to him. Threading her arms through his, she looked up into his eyes. "Are you sure you can't come?" Elena questioned. Stefan nodded his head slowly, and Elena took a deep breath. "You never get to come on our road trips," she pouted, "I think Damon should stay this time. He gets to have all the fun."

Stefan chuckled, and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I agree. But I have to stay here and keep an eye on Katherine. After all, she trusts me a lot more than she trusts Damon."

"Well I trust you more than I trust Damon, too," Elena pleaded, and she heard Damon protest behind her. Stefan cocked his head as if to say 'you know that's not true', and Elena rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe I trust him more than I'd like to—but I still wish you could come.

"I wish I could, too. But you need this."

"I need _you_, Stefan," Elena begged, hundreds of worries and fears rushing through her head. She didn't know when the merge would happen, but she couldn't stand the thought of this being her last moment with the love of her life. When she finally realized that he wasn't going to budge, she huffed—defeated.

Behind her, she heard Damon yell that it was time to leave. Elena reached up on her toes and leaned in to kiss Stefan. As their lips met, all of the confusion and fear that had been spreading through her like a disease faded away, and the only thing she felt was love. Love, passion—strength. The anger and sorrow that she had been soaking in since she'd met Katherine turned into power, and the previously small flame of vitality grew to a huge flame that burned through her whole body, giving her the strength to carry on without Stefan by her side at all times.

The two pulled apart, and a smile small graced Elena's face for the first time in days. Stefan smiled back, and reached down to hold her hand, fingers threading through hers. Damon had taken his perch in the driver's side already, and Bonnie had claimed the back. The two walked over to the car, and Stefan watched as she slid into the passenger's seat. Slamming the door shut, he watched as the trio pulled down the long driveway, and hoped—no, prayed—that Elena would make it back okay.

Elena was hoping the same thing, and when Damon steered the car onto the street, she turned back to see Stefan's face one last time. Elena knew they were only headed for Bree's Bar, but they might as well have been driving to Pluto. The strength she had felt a few moments ago began to fade as the car progressed, and it finally hit her that if the spell was completed, this may be the last time she'd lay eyes on the man she loved.

Nobody noticed the miniscule tear slowly slide down her cheek.

Nobody noticed her heart breaking.

* * *

Hey everybody :) First of all, thanks for the feedback last week on _both _of my stories-and I mean on the chapters, my next fanfic idea, and KONY 2012 :) You all are awesome! Second off, I would like to say that my writer's block is gone-for now, at least. Next week may be a different story (literally, since next week is a PotS update, haha), but I'm hoping it's gone for good! Thirdly, I'm thinking there will be about 10-12 chapters left in this story, but nothing's written in stone yet. Other than that, I've got nothing else to say today! But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this update that was actually _on time_, and I can't wait to hear what you guys have got to say! So remember, feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

ps: IT'S FINALLY OVER! New episode on Thursday :D I can't wait for the flashbacks-the 1920s are my FAVORITE! And I really want to see what Elena does to realize the "course her life has taken". Emotional breakdowns, anyone?


	23. Well, you know how the alphabet works

Hey guys :) so instead of giving you a bunch of excuses about homework, college tours, and high school, I'm just going to give you the one that applies most. I have writer's block. Again. I know, I know, it's getting kind of old-I agree! It took me _forever _to start this chapter, but then I kind of got going and it turned about better than I expected! Anyways, I'm soo sorry I haven't updated lately, but I'm going to try to update again this weekend and once next week to make up for it :) Plus, everytime I feel bad for not updating on time, I post longer chapters and I post them more often to make up for it, so you're actually on the winning side! This chapter is a little different than any other ones-namely, Elena isn't really in it (except for nap time). So I hope you enjoy the change of pace!

* * *

Damon had been at the wheel for over 4 hours. Elena had long since fallen asleep, leaving him and Bonnie to sit in awkward silence—but not for lack of trying. Damon had tried to spark a conversation with Bonnie more than once, but every time he began to speak she shot down the conversation. Not that he was surprised; Bonnie had never been his biggest fan—or a fan at all, really. But it was long drives like this where he wished he hadn't made her hate him so much. At least he wouldn't have been sitting in complete soundlessness for three hours.

Of course, all of that silence gave him a lot of time to think—which was _not _a good thing at that point in time. Before he realized it, he would find his mind wandering to life without Elena, without her beauty, without her love—whether that love was directed towards him or not.

'I'll leave Mystic Falls. Go to New Orleans, travel the world. I just have to find someone…' His thoughts wandered off to Elena. Stefan would be his first pick of a road trip buddy after Elena—he was entertaining, but not as much fun to party with as the eighteen year-old girl that could kick his alcoholic ass at drinking any time of the day. But Stefan wouldn't leave—he was too attached to Mystic Falls, even though Elena would be gone. 'I've got nothing there,' he thought.

Yeah, thinking wasn't a good idea.

Realizing that he would slowly go insane imagining life without Elena, Damon set back on his original course of trying to get Sabrina to talk to him. "So Bonnie, you've been talking to Lucy?"

Bonnie jumped at his voice, jolted out of her thoughts, and replied. "Uh, yeah. We've been emailing each other for a while."

"So why didn't you tell anyone? I could've kept your secret," Damon suggested with a quirk of his eyebrows, knowing that he was probably shutting her down.

"Because it's none of your business, Damon," Bonnie griped, staring even more intently out the window, "and frankly, I trust you about as much as I trust Katherine."

"Ouch," Damon chuckled, discontinuing the conversation for a few minutes. He really wanted to ask her something, but was afraid she'd get angry and drive him off the road with one of her witchy migraines. "You're still mad at me about your Grams, aren't you?"

Bonnie turned towards him with a sarcastic look on her face. "Now why would you ask that, Damon? Would it be because you actually care about my feelings? Or because you want to look good to Elena? Because whatever it is, I'm not buying it—Damon Salvatore doesn't care about other people. Humans are just a means to an end with you, and I don't really want to be one of your disposable puppets."

"So that would be a yes…" Damon finished, sitting in a sort of awe at the young witch. After a year, she still didn't trust him—not that he'd given her a reason to—and that bothered him. He didn't know why, it just did. "I'm sorry, Bonnie."

He watched as her head tilted up, eyes meeting in the rearview mirror as she sat in disbelief at the words he had just spoken. "I'm sorry. I was a different person back then. Granted, I'm still a total dick, but I wouldn't throw away someone else's life for Katherine's anymore—especially not someone important to you."

Bonnie's eyes began to water as she felt the familiar feeling of loss tug at her heart. "Since when do you care about how I feel?" she accused.

"Since I realized how important you are to Elena."

She took in a deep breath, trying to determine if he was serious or just messing with her. "You really care about her, don't you?"

"I do. I don't know what I'll do without her."

"You won't have to find out. Lucy _will _find a way. I know it," Bonnie responded, and after pausing, she continued, "I've never trusted you—but you know that. I don't trust you with myself, and I sure as hell don't trust you with Elena. But I can tell how much you care about her, and I'm glad that she has you and Stefan there for her."

"I'll always be there for her. And so will my brother."

"Good. She needs both of you," Bonnie urged, "_Both _of you, Damon. Especially if this merge happens, she's going to need you both. And I don't think either of you realize how much she leans on you now—how…broken she is."

Damon's eyes met Bonnie's in the mirror again. "God, she'd kill me if she were awake right now," Bonnie whispered before she went on, "You two see her as this strong, unbreakable girl. And she is—to an extent. But she's lost too many people, too many family members for her to be able to handle this. I'm pretty sure that if you two hadn't gotten here when you did, she'd have given up a long time ago. Which is why she needs you. As a _friend_, Damon. She has enough drama in her life for eternity—she doesn't need her own personal love triangle to screw things up anymore."

Shut up by Bonnie's emphatic words, the car was quickly doused in silence again, and the trio drove on—contemplating life, liberty, and love.

* * *

"So, where is everyone, Stefan?" Katherine asked; the swagger she'd lost temporarily was back and stronger than ever. Waltzing around the library again, she walked over to the bored Salvatore brother and laid down on the couch with her head in his lap. Stefan rolled his eyes, and shoved her onto the ground as he continued to read the grimoires Luca and his dad had found before their untimely demise.

"Gone," Stefan answered simply—only to get an annoyed expression from Katherine.

"You don't say, Stefan," she replied sarcastically, "Where exactly have they gone?"

Stefan cocked his head, looking at the brunette who was currently leaning against the couch—an attempt at seduction that he hadn't fallen for in over 150 years. "They've gone somewhere you'll never find them. You didn't think we'd just let you hurt Elena, did you?"

"Hurt her? Why would I do that, Stefan? If I hurt her, it hurts me—and you know I'm the poster child for self-preservation," Katherine questioned. When he couldn't come up with a response, Katherine returned to her usual games. "So… Since we're here all alone, why don't we have some fun?" she asked, lightly dragging her fingertips up Stefan's shins.

"Katherine, don't tempt me," Stefan threatened as she crawled up to his eye level.

"Tempt you to do what, Stefan?" She whispered seductively as her lips moved closer to his, "Tempt you to kiss me? Or to do even more?"

Stefan's head slowly turned towards hers, and when his lips were a mere centimeter from hers, he responded: "To kill you."

With that, he grabbed a hold of her neck and threw her on the floor—keeping his grip on her throat strong as he looked into her cold eyes. Katherine's eyes nearly popped out of her head, and she gritted through her teeth, "Oh, you're going to kill me, are you? What about your precious Elena—are you ready to lose her, too?"

She was right—and Stefan knew it. He wrenched his hand away from her throat to let her breathe. When she finally caught her breath, she continued. "You realize I could kill her right now and you wouldn't even be able to stop me. Just a little pressure…" Katherine growled as she dragged her long fingernail across her palm—knowing that her twin was feeling the same pain somewhere. Stefan grabbed hold of her hand to stop her, and looked deep into her eyes. The fear on his face began to morph into amusement, however, and Katherine's guard shot up.

"You think I didn't know you'd fight, Katherine?" Stefan asked.

"What do you mean?" Katherine questioned suspiciously. Before she even knew what was happening, Stefan descended on her, knocking her out quickly enough that she was sedated—but not enough that Elena wouldn't be able to heal quickly.

Stefan smirked, "Let's just say, for once, my alphabet was a lot longer than yours."

* * *

Okay, so like I said, Elena wasn't really in this chapter. Granted, everything revolved around her, but she was only physically in the chapter when she was napping in the car :) I do want to explain a few things before I get the confused comments, though-so give me a minute! First of all, Damon _is _still in love with Elena. It wouldn't be the Vampire Diaries without a love triangle! He's the better man that he was at the beginning of the season. You remember: the one that helped her, that supported her, that saved her when she needed it? Yeah, _that _Damon! He's also the brother that wasn't about to step in Stefan's way when he was out for the count-which is one thing I _really _admired about his character in the first half of season 3 (then he went and fucked EVERYTHING up by kissing her. Don't get me started.). Also, the way I see Elena's character is that she's strong, but if her friends were gone (namely Stefan and Damon in this part) she wouldn't be strong enough to overcome the pain and sorrow that she's experienced. So she's strong, but she's stronger with support than she could ever be on her own!

Finally, the little scene at the end... Yes, Katherine is still infatuated with Stefan. Yes, Stefan still hates her. Yes, the spell is still working. Basically, Stefan just knocked Katherine out so that he could neutralize her-but because Elena was already asleep, it didn't really affect her. Everyone got it? Cool :) Oh, and did you understand the last line? "Do you honestly believe that I don't have a plan B? And if that fails a plan C and a plan D. You know how the alphabet works don't you?". Sooo, thanks for reading, and thanks for staying with me you guys! We've still got a while to go, and I can't wait! Remember, feedback is love, people! So read and review!

-kiki :)

ps: OHMYGOD IT'S LEGIT NOW YOU GUYS THEY ARE OFFICIALLY DOING A FLASHBACK EPISODE TO ELENA'S "SIMPLER DAYS" FOR THE FINALE I'M SO PUMPED OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD! That is all.


	24. Information Overload

Okay guys. I know I haven't updated in forever, but will it help if I tell you that my stupidly difficult classes are done and that I'll have more time to write for FUN now? Because if so, that's awesome :) and if not... Oh well. But yeah! Here's the next chapter :)

* * *

Elena woke with a start, sucking in a large breath of air as she attempted to adjust to the real world again. She couldn't seem to focus on anything she looked at, and her head was pounding. For a moment she was brought back to the basement, but realized that she was still in the car with Damon and Bonnie. Damon seemed intent on driving, acting like he hadn't heard her wake up even though she knew he had, and Bonnie was napping in the back.

Trying to regain her focus, she looked over to the driver's seat. "Damon?"

"Hey, are you okay?" Damon responded, looking uncomfortable. Elena brought her hand up to her head, running her fingers through her hair and trying to relieve the pressure her head was experiencing. She squinted in the sun, wishing she'd brought her sun glasses with her.

"I can't feel my head… Is it sad that I can't even remember the last time I woke up feeling good?" Elena asked as she continued to rub her forehead.

"Yeah, Stefan just called. Long story short, he knocked Katherine out for the night, which probably explains the headache—so be glad you were asleep during it. And I'm guessing Katherine fought back, since a huge gash magically showed up on your hand when you were out," Damon stated, smirking as Elena's eyes flew to her other hand. She hadn't even noticed through the pain of her head.

Wincing at the aching shudders running through her hand and her head, she turned to look back up at the surroundings—realizing that they were in a familiar city. Sure enough, a few minutes later Damon pulled up to the old bar they'd visited over a year ago. Damon turned the car off, and Bonnie woke up as the motion of the car halted.

The three evacuated the car and walked into the bar. Memories began to hit Elena like a wrecking ball as she remembered a time that she'd been happy even during times of trouble. The difference, however, was that Elena was rarely happy anymore—her life filled with more pain than anyone could handle.

It looked exactly the same. Same paint, same pool tables, same liquor wall—everything felt like she had gone back in time one year, except that Lucy was handing out shot glasses behind the bar instead of Bree. As soon as she saw the weary trio walk in, she leapt over the bar exactly as Bree had last time they visited.

Lucy's eyes automatically flew to Bonnie as she drew her into a hug. Elena had no clue that they had grown so close, but clearly Lucy's mentoring had connected to Bonnie. The two disconnected and Lucy gave Damon a small nod, turning her attention to Elena.

Elena acknowledged her stare, offering her a handshake. "I don't know whether I should thank you for saving me, or slap you for trying to get me killed in the first place," Elena stated with a tiny smile, "but I'll start with a thank you—for agreeing to help us figure out what this spell is doing to me."

"I'll do anything to help you, Elena. It's the least I can do after almost getting you killed."

* * *

"So Harmony used the merging spell on you and Katherine?" Lucy asked. Damon, Elena, and Bonnie had soon discovered that Harmony and Lucy were close friends—which was why both had gotten tied up in Katherine's plans. Inseparable since birth, the two had been in trouble with some vampires, and Katherine came to their rescue, expecting a return in her investment by having them help her meddle in the Salvatores' business.

Bonnie nodded, quickly continuing. "Katherine wanted her to only connect to Elena's mind so that she could drive her insane for the rest of her life, but Harmony screwed them both over, instead."

"She shouldn't have been doing that spell. It's against the balance of nature, connecting a vampire and a human—especially if she was only doing it to help a vampire."

"Well that sure didn't stop her," Elena mumbled under her breath as she took another sip of her beer, quickly finishing the rest of her second bottle. Damon had tried to stop her, as he remembered the last time she'd gotten drunk from Stefan's recollection at the dive bar. But he figured that a drunk Kathlena was more fun than an angry Elena—and Elena was angry a lot lately as her frustration and confusion began to take over her emotions.

Noticing Elena's sour mood, Damon grabbed his bourbon and invited Bonnie to a game of pool, figuring that Elena didn't need his snark since she was doing so well on her own. Bonnie gave him a weird look, but went with him to give Elena some time to calm down, and hopefully get some more answers out of Lucy with her uncanny ability to comfort anyone no matter how upset she was.

Watching as the two walked away, Lucy turned to look Elena in the face, speaking in a calm voice. "Elena, you're going to be fine. You're strong, you'll pull through this."

Elena scoffed. "Oh yeah, I'll be _real_ fine. A vampire with two completely opposite minds, living for the rest of eternity with Katherine," she argued sarcastically, her frustration continuing to show through her composure.

"Vampire?" Lucy questioned, "No, you'll stay human, Elena." At her confused look, Lucy explained, "The spell makes the two people share the most pure vessel—and in this case, it would be your human body. You won't be a vampire."

Elena felt like her world had been turned on its side again. "But, I thought that we were merging in the most powerful body, not the purest… So then why am I acting so much like Katherine? And why do I have some of her vampire powers?"

"I told you that the balance of nature has to be maintained. If a human died to let a vampire live through the spell, the balance would be destroyed—so you're merging into your body so that the balance is upheld. And as for why you're acting like Katherine, it's because her blood is beginning to turn into human blood. You had some of her blood in your system when the spell was completed, right?"

Lucy continued after Elena nodded, "Unlike when a vampire normally shares blood with a human, the spell made it impossible for the blood to leave your system. You have her skills because her blood hasn't completely turned yet. Katherine's acting like you because your blood stayed in her system, too, so that some of her power is constantly transferred to you as her blood turns into human blood. Once you stop being able to speed around and compel people, the merge will happen and you'll both be one person—one _human._"

Elena nodded, taken aback by all of the new information she had just received. "Well that's comforting…kind of. But, how does the merge happen, anyways?"

"When Harmony cast the spell, it basically set a timer on Katherine's body. Once the spell runs its course by turning all of her blood into human blood, she'll die, in a sense. You'll pass out, and when you wake up you won't be alone anymore," Lucy explained, grabbing another beer for the doppelganger since she'd finished her last one earlier.

"Thank you, Lucy," Elena murmured, "I've been so confused and scared about being a vampire, and everything else that comes with this stupid spell. And I still don't want to deal with Katherine for the rest of my life, but at least I won't lose everything else. And I understand why you had to work with Katherine—and I forgive you."

* * *

Damon watched as Elena and Bonnie played another game of pool, walking over to sit at the bar again. It had been a few hours since Elena had talked to Lucy, and Damon figured she could use a break to relax and get drunk without almost killing him.

"So, you talked to Elena earlier, huh?" he asked Lucy, giving her his infamous 'eye thing', as Elena called it.

"Yeah, I just told her what she needed to hear to get through this. She's still going to be a human, Damon, but she won't be the same. She'll never be the same as long as Katherine's with her."

Damon grimaced, but continued his questioning, "Okay, then let's move on to a cure. How do we end this before it gets too bad?"

"There isn't a cure, Damon," Lucy answered, "Harmony would have had to put a special spell on them before she finished casting the merging spell to be able to kill Katherine without killing Elena. And I highly doubt Katherine would have let her do that."

"Wait, what do you mean another spell? " Damon interrogated, a spark of hope coming to life.

"It's this spell that lets one of the members of the merge die without affecting the other, but even if she completed it you'd have to figure out some riddle about Katherine—and Katherine has too many riddles for that to be possible."

Lucy watched in confusion as Damon's face lit up, thinking that the vampire had misunderstood what she'd said. When he replied, however, she realized that he was on to something. "What if I told you that I think Harmony cast that loophole spell? She told Elena as she was dying that Katherine could die if we took away the one thing that mattered most to her."

"That's…that's impossible. There's no way that Katherine would have let her do that! She would have had to destroy one of Katherine's possessions and mixed it with Elena's blood. Katherine would have figured it out," Lucy reassured Damon, but he wasn't giving up.

"Well, if what Elena told us was true, then Harmony did exactly that. Which means, that Elena was right all along, and we can finally get this bitch out of our lives."

* * *

Okay, did I lose anybody there? If so, just leave it in a comment or PM me :) It's kind of hard to follow, and I'm pretty sure I came up with it one night when I'd had like 2 hours of sleep-so if you're completely lost and have absolutely no clue what happened with the spell information or anything, just tell me :) anyways, I think that I'll get to update more now that school's out, so that's good! Remember, feedback is love, people, so read and review! I love to hear your comments :)

-kiki :)

ps: OHMYGOD THE SEASON FINALE WAS AMAZING AND BLEW MY MIND! And that's all I've got ta say about that. (we watched Forrest Gump this week to end my AP class... just throwing in those references!)

pps: okay, that was total crap. I have a hell of a lot more to say! Let's see, where to start? Where to start?... I can pretty much sum EVERYTHING up into the last 15 minutes. I loved the entire episode (dude, flashbacks? LOVED THEM!), but the end was my favorite! The crash scene was absolutely beautiful. Seriously, I was in shock for 2 hours afterwards. Part of me saw it coming, but it was still amazing and completely caught me by surprise-I didn't think they actually had the guts to turn her! But yeah, that was literally the best TV I have _ever seen_. It was amazing. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Awesome. Just breath-taking. And Damon's reaction to Ric dying? Great. Jeremy's reaction? Heart-breaking. And when she woke up it was AWESOME! And all the crap about "Oh, it's just like Twilight!" (imagine that in a super whiny voice) is total bullshit. Just...really? You're gonna compare it to Twilight? The entire premise was completely different, and the impact was so much more WOAH. The only real similarity was that she turned. Okay? How else were they supposed to show her waking up? Let's think this through, and then shut up because TVD is so much better than Twilight it's not even funny (and I have nothing against Twilight. I'm just stating my opinion. You disagree? Okay, that's fine. I respect it. I just think TVD is so much deeper and more developed). Oh, and I'm pretty sure that just because Elena's going to remember that Damon met her first and told her that he loved her, she's not going to go running straight into his arms. It's gonna take time if she's going to end up with him. Just sayin'... ANYWAYS, I freaking loved the finale (best episode EVER in my opinion), and can't wait to hear what you guys thought :)


	25. Loophole

Elena and Bonnie had been playing pool for mere minutes before Elena felt someone frantically grab her arm and turn her around. Sparing no time for her attacker to react, she automatically swung her fist around—only to be stopped by Damon's muscular hand.

"Whoa, tiger! Don't hurt the witch; she may have just saved your life," Damon smirked with a mischievous glint in his eyes that Elena couldn't decipher. Lucy's eyes seemed to be on fire with hope, yet Elena could see the doubt hidden behind her strong façade.

"What are you talking about, Damon?" Bonnie questioned as she watched the stand-off between the witch, vampire, and human. Damon began to explain, but Lucy quickly cut in with a command directed towards Elena.

"Elena, I need you to tell me everything that happened in the ritual."

Elena's face was lit with confusion, and she let out a quiet breath before she spoke. "Um… Harmony told Katherine to hold her picture over my stomach, and then Katherine stabbed me through it. But what does that have to do with anything?" Elena wondered aloud, hope beginning to show on her face as she saw Lucy smile.

"It has to do with everything, Elena! Katherine's blood that was in your system is what created the connection between you two—the knife simply channeled the magic through you to complete the merging-spell. The picture of Katherine was completely unnecessary for the spell to be completed," Lucy rambled on excitedly, tripping over her words in her haste to make the trio understand. "_But_ the picture created a different bond: a bond from your life source to your body. That way, no matter what happens to the other half of the connection _you will still live. _ It created a _weakness_—a weakness that lets you kill Katherine without harming yourself in the process!"

Attempting to comprehend the information that had just been brought to the table, Elena zoned out as Bonnie and Lucy conversed about the magic binding the spells together. Realizing that she was the only one that had failed to accept the loophole, Elena interrupted. "How does this help me, though? We still don't know how to kill Katherine."

Lucy frowned as Elena's questions rained on her metaphorical parade. "Well, Harmony would have had to give you some hint, right? Damon mentioned something about a riddle she told you before she died?"

"Yeah, she said that I had to take away the one thing Katherine can't live without. But how am I supposed to know what that is? I barely even know her, and I sure as hell don't want to. She doesn't have a family; she doesn't truly love anyone; and she's been on the run for the past 500 years—so what can she possibly be so attached to that she can't live without?"

The enthusiasm Lucy had experienced moments before had vanished, and Elena was left with just as much anger and confusion as before. "Well, you still have some time to figure it out, so I'd suggest that you get thinking. And Elena, you know more about her than you think. If it helps, Harmony was never really a possessive person; if her riddle actually means something—and I'd bet my life it does—then the thing Katherine can't live without isn't something you can see. It's more metaphorical."

The witch turned around and walked back to the bar, leaving Damon and Bonnie to continue the pool game after a few minutes of pondering. They both had recognized that Elena needed some space, so when she spun on her heel and walked out of the door neither was surprised. What Elena needed was some space.

But what she really needed was a miracle.

* * *

Okay, so I know I'm a terrible updater, guys. I'm really sorry, but the "summer-slacker" attitude has gotten the best of me, and I just haven't been able to recover. Plus, just like this time last year I've been so obsessed with thinking about how the premiere is going to go that I can't even think about what's happening in my stories (aka, my muse is missing, and I'd really like to find it).

Also, I know that this chapter is a little shorter than normal, and the next one is, too. But that's because when I put them both together, it was like 2,000 words-which totally freaks me out when I'm reading a fan fiction. But I already have the whole next chapter written, so I just have to edit it-and I'm thinking I'll update on Wednesday or so. I'm at band camp all week, so it's a little hectic, but I felt horrible that I said I'd update and I've been even worse than I was before :( But anyways, if you're still reading, I'd love to see what you thought! And the more reviews I get, the more likely I'll be to update by the end of the week! Feedback is love, people, so read and review!

-kiki :)

PS: I'm still stuck on PotS, so I'm hoping to get that one updated by the end of the week, too :) I'm not abandoning you guys, I just can't think of how to write during the summer (even though I suffered through an entire year of AP Lang. Don't even get me started on that one!) and I'm super sorry that I haven't updated in forever! I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me!


	26. Freedom

_Take away the one thing she can't live without_

_Can't live without_

_Can't live_

Alive. That's what Elena needed to be, and sitting on top of Damon's car staring at the stars didn't seem like the best way to be accomplishing that goal.

She wished she could say that she was pondering life's existential meaning, or that she was imagining her life twenty years from now. But no—that was what normal people did. That was how normal teenagers passed the time, not how an orphaned, confused, part vampire-doppelganger thought. Elena thought about how her life had gotten so messed up, and how she was about to be merged with a five-hundred year old vampire that looked exactly like her. How many teenagers get to say that?

And now she had to figure out the one thing her evil vampire doppelganger couldn't live without—even though she'd only met the girl a few times, and all of those meetings had consisted of taunting, pain, and fear. What a great way to get to know a person.

Elena was so in thought that she didn't notice Damon until he was lying down on the hood next to her. Was she really that out of it?

"What are you thinking about?" he inquired as he stared up at the stars with her.

"Vampires. Magic. Immortality. Ya know, every teenage girl's fantasy," Elena joked as her frantic mind slowed to a quiet buzz.

"Every teenager except you," Damon smirked, turning his head to face her, "Really, Elena. What are you thinking?"

Elena sighed, gulping down a lungful of air. "I'm thinking…I'm thinking that this is all too much. That one of these days I'm just going to break in half, and that there won't be anything left of me to be able to complete the merger spell."

She saw the concern flit through Damon's eyes, so she calmed his worry before he could speak. "But I promised Stefan that I would fight. So as much as I wish that this could all just go away and I could go live in a white padded cell with a straight-jacket for the rest of my life, I can't," she sighed, "Which is why I'm sitting out here on your car pondering Harmony's riddle and asking the stars for answers."

"And are they giving you any hints?"

"Not even one," Elena smiled. The two chuckled, returning to the stars for the answers they unleashed. Minutes passed, and Elena wished that peace would come, too, to no avail as her worry and anger continued to

"The one thing she can't live without," Elena mumbled under her breath, "How am I supposed to figure this out if I've met her all of 5 times?"

Damon could hear the anger and fear in her voice, the tremble in her voice portraying the emotions she was too strong and stubborn to show to anyone—let alone him. "I don't know, Elena. But you're not alone; you've got me, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, and hell, I bet Katherine would even help you—if you left out the part about her dying," Damon joked, but quickly realized that she was no longer in the joking mood. "The bitch doesn't have any connections, Elena. No lover, no friend, no ally—she's all on her own. I don't think she even has any possessions that she carries around with her because she moves too much to keep anything."

Damon continued to talk, but Elena had long tuned-out as the past week's conversations suddenly rang a bell in her mind.

"_She's been on her own for almost 500 years, so obviously she can live without him"_

"_The thing Katherine can't live without isn't something you can see. It's more metaphorical."_

"_She's all on her own."_

Elena's body shot up off of the car, and Damon jumped in shock. "I know what it is," Elena gasped as a smile grew across her face, "She's been all alone for over 500 years—never getting attached to anything long enough that she can't live without it. She doesn't have anything she cares about because she's been on the run. She doesn't rely on anyone but herself because she's all that she's got!"

Damon was looking at her like she was crazy, but she continued, watching as understanding and agreement lit up his face. "Everything that she does revolves around her keeping herself safe. You take that away, and what does she have? Nothing. Without her self-reliance, she's not Katherine. So—"

"If we take away her freedom, we take away her life."


	27. The Merge

Damn. I suck, you guys. I'm a self-proclaimed jack-ass that went on about how I was going to update more often, only to get off FF for 2 months. I'm truly sorry (I know I say that every time, but I'm not lying. I hate myself for being so untimely), and I really hope that I can make it up to you. Really, I never meant to leave you guys hanging on either of my stories! But if it makes you feel any better, this chapter is twice as long as normal, so maybe it'll start to make up for me being such a total jerk? My mind has been so focused on the premiere that I haven't been able to come up with any ideas for my stories no matter how hard I try (on an unrelated note, does anyone else follow the forums? They closed them, and I'm dying here. If you have any legitimately good spoiler forums, I'd love to hear about them!). But _Revenge of the Kat _only has 2-3 chapters left, so you'll only have to count on my unreliability for that long :} anyways, I'm so sorry about being a big liar, and I hope that this chapter can start to make up for it!

* * *

Elena stormed back into the bar after her epiphany with Damon hot on her trails. Lucy and Bonnie automatically turned towards the two, failing to comprehend the suddenly chipper mood set in both of their demeanors. Bonnie was pulled into a hug by Elena, and listened as Elena relayed the new-found information, "I know what matters most to Katherine, Bonnie. I know how to kill her."

Bonnie pulled away from her friend in shock, and saw tears streaming down her face. Shocked, she stuttered, "Wha…what do you mean?"

Elena's face was lit up like a Christmas tree as the entire group's attention focused on her. "Her freedom, Bonnie. She can't live without her freedom, a-and her self-reliance, because she hasn't had anyone else to rely on since she was turned," Elena whimpered through her tears of joy. She hadn't been ready for the onslaught of emotion that came with her realization, but now that she knew Katherine's weakness it was as if a giant weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. After everything she'd been through, she would still be able to live—and that made her more happy than she'd ever expected to be. But at the same time, she felt a pang of guilt for being happy that Katherine was going to have to die.

"Oh my god, Elena," Bonnie exclaimed as her eyes began tearing up, too. "Well, we've got to go! We have to get home and tell everyone and, and—"

"And calm down, Bonnie," Damon interrupted, "We just figured out what she values most, not how to kill her. So get your head in order, relax, and help us figure out how to kill Katherine—_then_ we'll go tell everyone in Mystic Falls the great news, okay?"

Up until then, Lucy had been largely expendable, watching from afar as the three celebrated their news. But as they began talking strategy, she jumped in to the conversation. "Wait, wait, wait! Okay, you figured out her weakness—and that's her freedom. So how do you take that away?" Lucy asked, obviously knowing the answer to the question, but wanting them to figure it out on their own.

Damon, Bonnie, and Elena looked at each other, seemingly unable to come up with an answer. Lucy rolled her eyes before she continued to point out the obvious, "You complete the merge."

"Are you insane? That's exactly what we're trying to avoid!" Damon barked at the witch.

"Don't you get it, Damon? If you complete the merge, Katherine isn't on her own anymore. She has to rely on an 'incompetent' 18-year old human girl. The only way to kill her is to take away her freedom, and the only way to take away her freedom is to make her share a body with Elena."

As Lucy's thoughts sunk in to everyone's head, the joyous mood quickly disappeared. Elena was left again with worry as she realized that no matter what, she still had absolutely no assurance that she would be able to be her own person ever again.

"Well I'll leave you all with that to think about on the ride back home… You need to go, Elena. Go be with Stefan, your brother, your friends. You don't need to be stuck here with some witch bitch that tried to kill you once already," Lucy said with a small smile, " I can't help you anymore, so you need to go be with the ones you love."

Faced with the fact that Elena's merge was inevitable, the trio followed Lucy's advice and prepared to leave. Damon called Stefan to update him on the new findings, and started ushering the girls to the car. As they walked out the door, Lucy yelled to Elena.

"Stay strong, Elena. Everything will be okay."

And with that, they trio drove away into the seemingly endless abyss of uncertainty and doubt, with more hanging on the truth than ever before. The yellowing trees of fall began to blur together as the car drove down the highway, headed back home. Bonnie had taken to reading her grimoire for more answers, while Elena opted to stare out the window—brooding and deep in thought.

Time dragged on as the seven hour long drive seemed to turn into a seventy hour drive. A few hours outside of Mystic Falls, Elena finally grasped the energy to speak again after the draining day they'd had. "Are we there yet?" she questioned.

"We're not going to start that now, are we? I don't think I could take another three hours of 'are we there yet' questions," Damon replied sarcastically, his mood still dark from the news about the unavoidable merge.

"Thank you Sergeant Sarcasm," Elena whipped back, "but seriously, how much longer? I don't think I can take much more of this waiting."

Worry and angst had been weighing heavily on her for the entire ride. Her body was tense and her chest constricted to the point that she was surprised she could even breathe, but that had become a common occurrence with all of the stress she'd been carrying in the past few years. After coughing a few times and assuring Damon that she was fine, he answered her.

"A few hours tops. It's pretty much a straight shot from here."

"Good," Elena said. She turned back towards the autumn leaves for a few moments, when she caught a glimpse of something out of place—Katherine. A vision gripped her mind, and she was no longer in the car. She was in the basement of the Salvatore boarding house, body seizing with pain as Stefan tried to hold her down. But as soon as the vision appeared, it was gone—replaced with an odd sensation. Suddenly the tension in her chest began to grow, and her breath started to get shorter. Her hand shot out to grab a hold of the door handle as she gasped at Damon.

"Stop the car."

Bonnie looked up from her grimoire as Damon turned to look at her, confusion marring his features, "what? Elena what are you—"

"Stop the car, Damon!" Elena screamed at him. As soon as the car ground to a halt, she yanked the door open and tumbled out of the passenger side, falling to her hands and knees on the concrete beside the car. As soon as Elena had jumped out of the car, Damon sped to her side and pulled her into his embrace—hoping to weaken the pain Elena was clearly experiencing. Bonnie had gotten out immediately, too, focusing on spells to try and pause the merger spell, or at least knock Elena out so that she wouldn't have to experience the amount of pain she was clearly in at that moment.

Tremors came in waves through her body, and it felt as if a fire was burning through her veins. Her vision began to switch from Damon and Bonnie's fear-filled faces to the basement, and she suddenly knew what was happening. "The merge," she gasped out before she was blindsided by another bout of pain.

Elena's skin was fiery-hot in Damon's arms, and the seizure she was experiencing was shaking him to the core. Her face was clammy, and it began to lose the olive tone that she was known for in exchange for a ghostly pallor—probably a side effect of Katherine's blood running through her system.

She could feel Damon's arms around her, but she was beginning to lose touch with reality—seeing simply in obscure shapes and colors, hearing nothing but white noise, and eventually losing the ability to even sense Damon and Bonnie's presence. She lost all sense of time and space, and the world began to fade to black. All she could do as she lost consciousness was hope for peace when she woke up

Something told her that peace would never come as long as Katherine was alive.

* * *

Katherine woke with a start, twisting her head around to get a picture of her surroundings. Dark, damp, cold…The basement. Of course, Stefan _had _to put her in the basement of all places.

"Really, Stefan?" She yelled out, since he was nowhere to be found, "You couldn't have at least put me somewhere a little more civilized?"

Suddenly, Stefan appeared outside the cell door, and Katherine gasped at his speed—the fact that she was going to be a stupid, weak human hitting her like a ton of bricks.

"Why on earth would I act civilized to the vampire that tortured my brother, girlfriend, and I? It's your actions that have nearly destroyed everything, and yet you expect me to act like a gentleman? I don't think so, Katherine."

Katherine's chest began to feel heavier as she stared at the man that had once loved her more than life itself. "It's not my fault, Stefan. Harmony did this, she put the merger spell on Elena and I. I never asked for this!"

"Yes you did, Katherine. As soon as you blackmailed Harmony into doing your stupid spell, you signed yourself up for her stabbing you in the back. You've already had one witch do that to you, so I'm surprised you didn't have some sort of contingency plan in case something like this happened."

"Fool me once, shame on you," Katherine mumbled, her heavy breath beginning to alarm her. "Fool me twice… shame on—"

Katherine never finished her sentence as a fit of coughing took over her entire body, shaking her from head to toe. Stefan's eyes grew in shock before he slammed through the door, grabbing the quivering vampire into his arms and praying that this was simply a side-effect of knocking her out—but knowing inside that it wasn't.

Trying to focus on breathing, Katherine's eyes fluttered shut as her eyeballs rolled back into her head. She could feel tendrils of blood sliding down her face from her nose and mouth, and the excruciating, mind-numbing pain came in constant waves. Her vision was flashing back between the basement and a car stopped in the middle of the road. Body seizing, thoughts shutting down, and senses numbing, Katherine knew it was the end.

Stefan watched in horror as the virtually unkillable, 500 year old vampire's body began to shut down. Distantly, he knew that a similar thing was happening to Elena as the merging spell completed itself. But the vision of Katherine's conscious mind slowly falling apart, her body withering to nothing, shocked him out of his thoughts to watch the grisly scene before him. The color was slowly draining out of Katherine's body as she took on the grey pallor of death. Sickly black veins crawled up her limbs and face, and finally the shaking stopped.

Katherine Pierce was dead.

* * *

Okay, how was it? I'm hoping that my AP Lang class helped my writing, but I'm a bit out of practice (obviously, since I haven't updated in forever!). Anyways, I hope you can forgive me and still enjoy my story :) It's been a long road, and I can't believe we're almost done! Feedback is love people, so read and review! I'll make sure to reply to every one of your reviews, because I love hearing what you have to say!

-kiki :)

ps: idk if anyone else is counting, but if you're not, here's the countdown: NINE DAYS UNTIL THE VAMPIRE DIARIES SEASON 4 PREMIERE!


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